Camp Trip
by Vera The Awesome
Summary: What do you expect from a camping holiday between Burn, Gazel, Hiroto, Midorikawa, Desarm and Ulvida? Chaos of course! Burn/Gazel, HiroMido, Desarm/Ulvida. Collab with Garfakcy-chan.
1. Midorikawa's secret

**A/N: I still fail at titles, yesh (this is not a typo). Anyway, this is the new story I've been working on with the awesome Garfakcy-chan. ^.^ I'm so happy we could combine our powers once more, especially since you guys liked our other collab so much. I'd like to say first that this story takes place over the span of three days, so we didn't exactly keep a logical sense of time in mind. XD Trust me, the story's long enough as it is. Anyway, we hope you'll enjoy our new story, please leave a review if you do! ^.^ They really mean a lot to the both of us. -heart-**

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><p>"Effing tent!" Burn screeched when the jumble of fabric and pole collapsed on him...again. Gazel sighed from where he was sitting on a rock by the edge of the lake, lazily flipping through the instruction manual. "Ready to read the instructions yet?" he asked, propping up his cheek with one hand.<p>

"I can figure it out!" Burn yelled back as he continued to wrestle with it. Gazel rolled his eyes and went back to leafing through the manual. Why, of all things, did Hiroto choose to go _camping_? Now they were stuck out in the middle of nowhere for three days! Three days of sharing a tent with Burn of all people!

Mr Great Ideas himself was at the next spot over, helping Desarm and Ulvida with their tent. Not that they needed help – unlike a certain other couple – but he and Midorikawa had long finished setting up their own, and Hiroto wanted to make himself useful. He turned his head to the bickering pair and let out a snicker. "I can help you next if you want."

"No thanks," the duo instantly answered in unison. Burn sent him a glare, but Gazel didn't even bother averting his eyes from the manual. Even though they no longer saw Hiroto as Gran, their despicable fellow master rank captain who destroyed their chance at becoming Genesis, they still resented him for being Mr Perfect, always kind and helpful. Not that they would ever admit their grudge spawned from envy.

Hiroto just shrugged, little fazed by their retort, and focused back on Desarm and Ulvida. The black-haired teen was busy spiking a tent pen into the ground, just as Ulvida came walking with more in her hand. "Dezzy, I found—"

"Watch out!" Hiroto yelled when he saw her walking straight into a set pen, but the girl already tripped and let out a yelp, alerting Desarm as well. He turned just in time to catch her, but seeing as the extra weight threw his squatting position out of balance, he tumbled on his back with her on top of him.

Ulvida groaned briefly at the impact, but quickly got back up and laughed a "Sorry." Desarm said nothing, merely hoping his blush wasn't too visible. He couldn't help but feel nervous, knowing he had just held the girl he had admired since their time at Aliea Academy in his arms. They may not be separated by different ranks anymore, but Desarm still tended to put himself below her, if only because of his enormous crush on her.

Hiroto flashed a smile, figuring the two would be fine by themselves, and turned his head to the lake. His own tent mate was sitting in the sand, his knees up in his arms as he absentmindedly scanned the water. Hiroto had noticed right away that the greenette seemed rather gloomy, despite agreeing to accompany them. Little did the redhead know that Midorikawa was worried about him, about putting a dent in his plan to go on a nice camping trip. He had been on board from the start, but his enthusiasm faltered as soon as he heard there was a lake – meaning _swimming _– involved. The problem wasn't that Midorikawa didn't like swimming, but—

"Why the long face?"

Midorikawa flinched lightly when Hiroto popped up next to him, beaming a bright smile. Midorikawa almost bit his lip when he saw the cheerful expression on his friend's face. He had harboured feelings towards the boy for the longest time now, and he couldn't stand the thought of ripping apart his hopes of having a fun time with everybody.

The greenette quickly gazed at the lake again and said: "N-nothing, nothing, I was just lost in thought."

"Wait," Hiroto said when Midorikawa turned away his head. "There's something on your nose, hold on."

Midorikawa widened his eyes when Hiroto reached for his face and touched his nose the very next moment. He almost backed away out of automatism, but Hiroto had already removed whatever was invading his face. He opened his hand with a smile, showing Midorikawa the dotted insect crawling in his palm.

"A ladybug," he chimed.

Midorikawa blushed heavily and quickly averted his eyes to the ground. "Th-thanks." he stuttered. Hiroto grinned. "No problem."

"Fuck!" Both former Aliea captains instantly turned to look at Burn's once again collapsed tent and the redhead thrashing around under it. Gazel gaped at the scene for a bit before face palming and stalking over to him. "You idiot!_ Now _will you look at the instructions?" the white haired boy yelled as he attempted to free the other from his own mess. Hiroto rolled his eyes.

"I'm starting to feel sorry for Gazel." the redhead snickered when the ice user finally freed the other Chaos captain from the tent and promptly banned him from coming within a ten foot radius of it until Gazel finished setting it up. Burn stomped away, stuffing his hands into his pockets and grumbling under his breath about 'fussy white haired bitches'. He cried out in pain when Gazel's manual hit him in the head not a second later. Burn spun around and sent him a death glare, but the culprit averted his gaze innocently. Burn had given him more than enough time to learn the instructions by heart, so he decided to use the book for a much better purpose.

Burn rubbed his head with a growl and turned around again, eyeing the lake in front of him. He lifted his eyes and suddenly noticed a tall cliff hovering above the water, which looked accessible from the ground. Burn's face lit up with a smile; that thing had to be awesome to jump from. Suddenly psyched, he rushed back to his friend and asked: "Are you done yet?"

Gazel, having borrowed Desarm's hammer and looking up at the boy with a couple of nails between his lips, raised an eyebrow. "I just started. And didn't I tell you you're banished?"

"Well, hurry up!" Burn urged, ignoring his second remark. "I wanna go swimming!"

Gazel's other eyebrow went up. "Then swim, you don't need my approval."

"No, but Gran said we should wait until we've all set up our tents," Burn sputtered, resembling a five-year-old more than anything. "So get a move on, will ya?"

Gazel suddenly felt an overwhelming tendency to hurl the hammer at his head as well, but he managed to maintain his composure. His grip did tighten on the tool, however. "Whose goddamn fault do you think it is that our tent is the only one still down?" he demanded in a low tone. "Get the hell out before I ban you permanently and you can sleep with the mosquitoes."

"What do you mean, there's nothing to get out of," Burn stuck out his tongue and snickered when Gazel flipped him off as a response. He put his hands back in his pockets and started walking off again, but stopped when he heard Gazel complain to himself about the hot temperature. Burn, rarely bothered by the summer heat, turned around and watched Gazel remove his shirt, only to toss it to the side. The sight of a sweaty, half-naked Gazel caused Burn to blush for some reason, and he quickly diverted his gaze when he realized he was staring. He frowned to himself, puzzled. What was that just now?

Gazel huffed loudly. _Why_ did it have to be so hot? Why couldn't they have gone camping in, let's say, December? It would have been so much nicer then. At least they could swim. That was something to look forward to. Granted, he'd be able to get in the water much faster if Burn hadn't messed up their tent so much.

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><p>Ulvida grunted quietly as she finished unloading the food and supplies out of the back of Desarm's van. "Wow, it's so hot! I can't wait to get in the lake! What about you, Desarm? Desarm? Dezzy?" she turned around in a circle a couple times, searching for the other teen. She smirked and planted her hands on her hips when she found him hiding behind a rock, looking through a pair of binoculars. Ulvida walked over and dropped down next to him, snatching the binoculars away to see what he was so focused on. She rolled her eyes when they landed on a particular greenette and redhead.<p>

"Really, Dezzy? You're like his dad or something." she tossed the binoculars away and Desarm snatched them back up, locking onto the pair again. "He's going to try something, I know it." the black haired teen hissed, glaring at Hiroto through the lenses. Hiroto was standing in front of Midorikawa, talking animatedly. Every now and then, Midorikawa would blush and laugh and Hiroto would grin like an idiot. Suddenly, Midorikawa seemed to notice something before turning in his direction and narrowing his eyes. _Uh oh..._

"Desarm!" Midorikawa screamed. Said former Epsilon captain quickly tucked the binoculars behind his back and scrambled up to hide behind the van. But Midorikawa already came running and blocked his way, a grumpy look on his face. "What do you think you're doing?" he huffed.

Desarm awkwardly shifted his eyes to ten different places before locking them on the greenette. "Just looking out for you," he answered carefully. "I don't want to see you get in trouble."

"In trouble with what? With _Hiroto_?" Midorikawa gave him a look. "He's my best friend, why do you get so hyped up just over us talking?"

While Desarm tried to find a better answer than "He's looking to get into your pants", Ulvida crossed her arms and snickered at the pair. She remembered how the greenette used to struggle just looking Hiroto in the eye, let alone speaking his first name with so much force. She was well aware of how much he let his true feelings for the redhead block his path, but it was still great to see him so carefree compared to his time as Reize.

Just as Midorikawa started chasing his 'big brother', demanding he hand over the binoculars, Gazel approached the blue-and-white-haired girl and jabbed a thumb at his and Burn's tent. "Finished."

Ulvida gave him a teasing smile. "About time." She then raised her voice and shouted: "Alright, everyone, all tents are finally up! Who's up for some cooling off in the lake?"

Hiroto, Gazel, Desarm and especially Burn instantly agreed, but Midorikawa froze abruptly, totally forgetting about fishing the reason for Desarm's overprotective behavior out of him. They were going swimming? Now? His eyes shot to Hiroto, who came walking with an enthused smile on his face. Midorikawa frowned in panic, his hand flying to his mouth. Oh no, they were gonna find out…!

"Finally!" Burn whooped happily, ripping off his shirt and shorts to show he was wearing his swim trunks underneath(red of course with orange flames). "Last one in's a rotten egg!" Burn screamed. He immediately raced towards the cliff, Gazel not too far behind. Ulvida instantly stripped down to her purple bikini(Desarm hid a nosebleed) and spread out her towel on the beach.

"Canon ball!" Burn screamed as he plunged into the water below after jumping off the cliff. Gazel sighed at his friend's antics before jumping off as well. Desarm, and Hiroto, pulling along a skittish Midorikawa, quickly joined them.

"Race you guys!" Burn yelled, running back up to the top of the cliff. Gazel yelled after him for being unfair and Hiroto tugged on Midorikawa's hand. "Come on!" he pulled the greenette up the cliff. Midorikawa swallowed hard when they got near the top, looking fearfully over the edge. Hiroto noticed his nervousness and leaned to look him in the eye.

"You don't have to jump if you don't want to." he said, smiling kindly at the former Gemini Storm captain. Meanwhile, Desarm had joined Ulvida on the beach, lounging in the sun, reading. He looked up when he caught their movement out of the corner of his eye. _'What does Ryuuji think he's doing? He knows he can't...'_

"Come on, Reize! Stop being such a baby!" Burn yelled, grabbing the greenette tightly around the waist and hurling him as hard as he could over the edge. Midorikawa screamed but was cut off when he hit the water. Ulvida yelped when Desarm's book nearly hit her in the face. "Osamu! What was that for?" she sat up, watching the dark haired boy race towards the water.

"Ryuuji!" Desarm yelled the younger boy's name and dove into the water, almost instantly resurfacing with the coughing and sputtering greenette.

The former master rank captains gaped at the two from atop the cliff, all of them stunned to see Desarm jump to action so fast. They first thought Midorikawa was afraid of heights or something, but Hiroto was the first to realize he possessed a far bigger problem: the greenette couldn't swim.

"Midorikawa!" He ran back to the beach, where Desarm had brought their friend in record time. He was seated in the sand with the other boy in his lap, who was shivering and occasionally whimpering, his eyes filled with terror.

"Are you okay?" Desarm inquired for the fifth time since he'd saved him in the lake, but Midorikawa didn't answer. It had only lasted for a split second, but the impression was still there – that immense, agonizing fear of drowning. Midorikawa squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in Desarm's chest, tears spilling on his cheeks. Desarm frowned worriedly and rocked the boy a little, trying to soothe him. Just as the greenette started to calm down a bit, he jumped when Hiroto's voice suddenly reached him. His head shot up and he looked into those teal eyes, usually set to happiness but now overflowing with worry. Midorikawa widened his own. Oh no… He had done it. They had barely set up their tents and he had already ruined Hiroto's vacation.

The greenette squirmed out of Desarm's arms and got up on his feet, fleeing from the boy he held so dear. A completely shocked Hiroto thought he wanted to enter the surrounding forest at first, but Midorikawa hid in their tent instead, relieving him despite the current situation.

"You know, he could've at least hidden in someone else's tent. He's not gonna get far when you're the one he'll be lying next to," Ulvida commented, her arms crossed on her chest.

Hiroto managed a small smile and made for the tent. "I'll handle this." Desarm followed him with his eyes, a little worried at first, but then figured the last thing Hiroto would do at this rate was harm his little brother. Soon after, his gaze shot up instead, piercing straight through the redhead that had caused Midorikawa so much fright. Despite the distance, Burn could instantly feel Desarm's death glare on him and took a step back, a lump blocking his throat. Desarm didn't look too friendly to begin with, and even Burn got the chills when the black-haired boy was seriously mad. Now was definitely one of those cases.

The redhead gulped loudly. "You know, I think I forgot something in the car. I'll just go get it now. Bye guys!" with that, Burn sped towards the van, Desarm hot on his tail. "Get back here!"

Gazel sighed and walked back to the beach, plopping down in the sand next to Ulvida, who had begun reading Desarm's book. "Think he'll be okay?" Gazel asked. The blue and white haired girl nodded. "I'm sure he'll be okay. Hiroto will handle it. I wish he would've said something though. We could have avoided all of this." Gazel nodded. "I'm sure he wouldn't have minded missing out on a near death experience. I always knew Burn would kill someone someday."

"Midori-chan's not dead...yet, anyways. We should probably keep him away from Burn though. Heaven knows that boy doesn't have many restraints." Gazel chuckled. "I think we'll be good for a while." He said pointing to the van. Burn had taken the keys and locked himself inside the car while Desarm tried to break into it to get at him. "We should go interfere before someone calls the cops on Desarm."

"And who exactly would call the cops? We're the only people around for miles!" Ulvida exclaimed. Gazel shrugged. "You never know."


	2. Swimming lessons

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and faves, minna-san! ^.^ Here's the next chapter, enjoy~!**

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><p>Hiroto quietly unzipped the tent and slipped inside. Midorikawa was curled up inside his sleeping bag(at least, he assumed the lump was Midorikawa), sobbing quietly. The redhead re-zipped the door and lay down beside Midorikawa's sleeping bag and poked gently at the lump. "Hey, you okay?" a small sniffle and what he assumed was a nod followed. "You don't sound okay. What's the matter? Burn didn't mean it; he didn't know you couldn't swim. None of us did. Well, Desarm did but you get what I mean. I wish you would have told me though. I wouldn't have brought you up there." He raised an eyebrow when a muffled response came from the sleeping bag. "Midori-chan, I can't understand you."<p>

After a pause and a bit of shuffling, Midorikawa's head slowly peeked out from the opening of the sleeping bag. "I-sniff-I'm sorry. I just didn't want to ruin your vacation." Hiroto raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get the idea that it would ruin my vacation? I don't have any problem with sitting with you on the beach and we can still go in the shallow part." When Midorikawa averted his eyes and looked sadly down, Hiroto racked his brain for a way to make him feel better. Then he smiled.

"I'll teach you!" he exclaimed. Midorikawa gave him a confused look. "I'll teach you how to swim! It's not hard once you get the hang of it. We'll start tomorrow. And I'm sure Desarm and Ulvida will help too." Midorikawa sniffed a little. "O-okay."

The tent shook suddenly. "You guys, food's almost done." Ulvida's voice floated in before she walked away. Hiroto grinned widely and sat up. "Great! I'm starving! Come on, Midori-chan!" Hiroto started to slide out of the tent then cast a look back at the greenette. "Are you coming?" he asked. Midorikawa blushed. "Well...I...um...I didn't want to get my sleeping bag wet so..." his eyes flicked to the corner of the tent and Hiroto blushed when his eyes landed on a soaked pair of orange swim trunks.

"Oh...oh! R-right, I'll just...leave then. See you in a minute." Hiroto stuttered out before quickly leaving and zipping up the tent.

Blushing even more, Midorikawa quickly reached for his trunks and put them back on. He felt embarrassed, but the emotion eventually started to fade for one of relief, to the point of summoning a smile on the greenette's face. He hadn't ruined Hiroto's vacation, he wasn't even mad at him… The redhead had actually smiled and offered to teach him how to swim. Even though he was still scared of the deep part of the lake, Midorikawa couldn't suppress the building happiness inside of him. Hiroto was a sweet as always, and he knew he was in good hands with him as his teacher. He was actually starting to look forward to tomorrow.

Midorikawa exited the tent, only to have a pouting Burn shoved in front of him. He backed away and then noticed a towering Desarm behind the redhead, arms crossed and face set to thunder. "Apologize."

Burn shot him a reluctant look. "Can't we just drop i—"

"Apologize. _Now_." Desarm's eyes seemed to turn red for a moment, resembling their ominous state from Epsilon Remastered. Goose bumps hitting him all over, Burn quickly turned to face Midorikawa and muttered a "Sorry."

"It's okay, Burn," Midorikawa smiled. "I'm fine now." As the trio made their way to the other three, he added: "Hiroto said he'd teach me how to swim, so I might be able to join you on that cliff later on."

Desarm was about to tell him he could wave goodbye to another cliff adventure if it were up to him, but then realized what Midorikawa had said before that. "… Hiroto will be teaching you?"

"Yeah!" Midorikawa flashed a cheerful, innocent smile, fueling Desarm's protective nature all the more. The greenette couldn't swim at all, meaning they'd have to start from the beginning. Hiroto would most likely be touching his body in order to adjust it to the right position. Desarm hated the mere thought of the redhead getting all intimate with the greenette, and tomorrow would be ten times worse because of their lack of attire.

"… I'll help," he said automatically, keeping the "and keep an eye on that Hiroto" part to himself.

Midorikawa simply smiled at him, totally unaware of Desarm's inner thoughts. "He said you would. Thank you, Desarm."

Desarm nodded, now lost in thought as of how to separate Hiroto from the innocent and naive greenette. Midorikawa blinked confusedly at the older boy's vacant expression but decided to think nothing of it and continued over to where Gazel and Ulvida were finishing the cooking. Ulvida grinned. "You're just in time! We just finished! Let's eat!" The group sat down and dug in. Burn smirked.

"Gazel didn't cook it, did he? We'll probably all keel over dead or something." Gazel frowned. "At least_ I _can cook without burning the kitchen down." Burn went stone-faced. "...We swore we'd never speak of that again." He quickly shoved a burger into his mouth and stared off into the distance, signaling the end of the conversation. Gazel shrugged and went back to eating. Midorikawa blinked.

"When did Burn...erm...burn the kitchen down?" Burn shot him a 'we are not talking about this' look, but Gazel ignored it and turned to the greenette. "How old are you again?"

"14" Midorikawa answered and was instantly glomped by Ulvida. "I keep forgetting just how little Midori-chan is!" She squealed, making the green haired boy blush. With Burn and Hiroto already 15 and Gazel only weeks away from the double digit, Midorikawa was left as the youngest of the group. Desarm and Ulvida were well into their late teens.

Gazel nodded. "That's what I thought. You weren't at Sun Garden yet. Good thing too. He really did a number on the place." Burn scowled. "I was frickin 6! And what happened to never talking about this again?"

Gazel smirked innocently, his eyebrows raised. "Hey, Reize asked, all I did was answer."

Burn shot him a glare, but then appeared to think of something and grinned instead. "While we're on the topic of embarrassing childhood memories, we might as well share some of yours." He turned to Midorikawa and started: "Did you know Gazel still sleeps with a teddy?"

"Really?" Midorikawa's eyes lit up while Gazel started to flush. "O-only sometimes!" The truth was that he wasn't all that fond of teddies; he just kept one on standby in case his clinging habit got the best of him.

"Oh yeah," Burn grinned, completely ignoring his fellow Chaos captain. "And he used to be a real crybaby when we were younger. Cried about everything, Hitomiko-nee-san often needed to give him candy just to shut him up."

"Wow…" Midorikawa muttered in awe, briefly flicking his eyes to the silver-haired boy. He could barely imagine Gazel crying, let alone enough to be called anything close to a crybaby.

"I know right," Burn nodded, before pointing a finger to the sky. "Hey, do you know when Gazel finally stopped wetting his bed? Here's a real shocker, it stopped when he was—"

"ENOUGH!"

Burn nearly fell off his seat when Gazel hit him over the head, his face entirely red. "No one cares about that, stop blabbing out boring stories about our childhood!"

Burn managed a grin despite the growing bruise on his head. "They don't seem boring to him; look at him, he's hooked!"

Midorikawa indeed looked more than open for more memories regarding the two, but an intimidating glare from Gazel made him change his mind. He laughed nervously and waved Burn off. "N-no, that's okay, I've heard enough, thank you."

"How about this one?" Hiroto jumped in, crossing his arms and sending the greenette a smile. "I remember protecting you ever since you came to Sun Garden, no matter what the problem was." He winked quickly when Desarm wasn't looking. "I'm glad nothing's changed."

Midorikawa blushed. "M-me too..." Hiroto beamed, ignoring the dark eyes boring into his skull from across the table. Desarm bit back a growl as Hiroto continued to flirt with the greenette across the table. Ulvida noticed Desarm's plastic cup was beginning to form cracks and quickly changed the subject.

"Remember when Desarm was trying to pick his alien name?" The black haired teen in question instantly averted his attention to the only female member of the party. Burn cackled. "Yeah! You went through...what? 6 of 'em?" Desarm flushed from both anger and embarrassment. "Is it really necessary to bring about this topic?" Desarm asked, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing. Ulvida giggled.

"Well, on another not-so-embarrassing note, it'll be getting dark soon. So if everyone's done, let's clean up for the night." she then smirked. "I think it's fair to say Burn does the dishes, since he was the cause of our big fiasco today." Burn gaped. "I didn't do it on purpose! And I already apologized!" Ulvida crossed her arms. "Doesn't matter. You still need to be punished for nearly _drowning_ poor Midori-chan today. Now march!"

Burn growled and started to stack up the plates when he felt a particular gaze on him. He looked to his right and saw Gazel smirk at him, his face in his hand as his elbow rested on the table. Burn gritted his teeth, his temper increasing. "What?"

"Nothing," Gazel grinned.

"It's not nothing when you're smirking like the smug bastard you are!" Burn snapped, and while the two started to argue over – as usual – nothing, Hiroto turned to Midorikawa once more. "You know, it's still hot out. We can start our first swimming lesson now, if you want."

Midorikawa frowned unsurely. "Isn't there a rule about waiting an hour after you eat…?"

"That's a common misunderstanding," Hiroto smiled. "There's nothing wrong with swimming after a meal. We don't need to start with the movements if you don't want to, though. We can practice holding your breath underwater. We can also just relax in the shallow part, if you want."

Midorikawa blushed when he envisioned the two of them in the water, sitting together in the romantic setting the enveloping twilight created. He was ready to refuse out of sheer nervousness, but found himself completely powerless when Hiroto gave him one of his dazzling, irresistible smiles. "…o-okay. That sounds… nice."

Hiroto widened his smile and took him by the hand, leading him to the water. "Let's go."

Desarm flinched as though an antenna on top of his head started to flicker and instantly focused on the two, his eyes quickly narrowing. He started marching after the couple but was suddenly stopped by Ulvida, who clasped onto his ear and held him back. "Oh no, you don't. Let them have some alone time."

"Ow, ow, I need that organ!" Desarm groaned until the girl let him go. He gave her a displeased look, unable to produce a straightforward glare towards Ulvida. "I can't leave those two alone, that's what he's waiting for! He's making a move on him and you know it!"

"Why is that so bad?" Ulvida inquired, raising an eyebrow. She crossed her arms and continued: "You know Midori-chan is head over heels in love with him, and when has Hiroto ever signaled he would do something to harm the boy? I think they'd make a fine pair."

"But...but...but!" Desarm started to protest but shut up when Ulvida gave him a glare. He slumped slightly and crossed his arms over his chest in a sulking manner. "Fine, but if he tries anything-!" He didn't get to finish when Ulvida grabbed his ear again and dragged him away.


	3. Sleeping issues

**A/N: Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback, everybody! ^.^ We're very happy you're enjoying the story so far! In answer to the reviewer who mentioned the story seems a little rushed: I have to disagree in regards to the first two chapters, but I won't deny the story is off at some later points. There _are_ going to be things that could've been done better, but in my opinion, they're details and not that important to the story. They were mostly caused because me and Garfakcy-chan didn't always have a lot of time, so I hope you guys will enjoy it for what it is. I'm glad you like everything else, though. ^_^ Here's the next chapter, minna-san~!**

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><p>Midorikawa tensed as they neared the water. What if he made a fool of himself in front of Hiroto? But then his feet hit the water and he froze up. Hiroto stopped and looked back at him. "Midori-chan? Is everything okay?" Midorikawa bit his lip and looked down. "I-I'm just nervous." he stuttered out. Hiroto smiled gently. "Do you want to start tomorrow? We don't have to do this now if you don't want to." He gently squeezed the greenette's hand. Midorikawa fidgeted nervously before shaking his head.<p>

"No, I wanna try now." Hiroto smiled. "If you're sure. I promise I won't let go of you."

Midorikawa blushed when he heard that and kept his head down, looking straight at their entangled hands. Hiroto always managed to make him feel warm and safe inside, even when he was afraid of messing up… His heart grew twice its size whenever he stopped to idolize the boy, which, in truth, happened quite often. "… t-thank you."

"No problem," Hiroto beamed, and he lead his friend into the lake until the water reached their waists. "Now, whenever your head goes underwater, all you need to do is hold your breath. Come back up as soon as you feel you need air. You can open your eyes if you want, but it might sting the first time around." The redhead sank underwater to give Midorikawa an example, before rising and gesturing to the water with his free hand. "Go ahead and try."

Midorikawa nodded, trying to set his nervousness aside for determinacy. His very first task couldn't be too hard; all he had to do was keep from breathing. Maintaining a firm grip on his teacher's hand, the greenette squeezed his eyes shut, filled his cheeks with air and sank through his knees. He was afraid the water would force itself through his nose and mouth like it had done after Burn pushed him in, but he realized that, following Hiroto's instructions, he was completely fine. Overjoyed, Midorikawa promptly opened his eyes and a fish, swimming mere inches from his face, gave him the shock of his life.

He shot up and backed away, forgetting about a little necessity called balance. Midorikawa yelped as he fell into Hiroto's arms, but the redhead found himself unable to keep the squirming greenette up and both the boys hit the water with a big splash. Midorikawa instantly got back up and began to stammer countless apologies, but then realized his friend was nowhere to be found. Panicked, the greenette turned his head to and fro, frantically wishing his stupid slipup hadn't caused Hiroto some kind of harm. "… H-Hiroto? Hiroto…!"

"Gotcha!"

Midorikawa cried out once more when two arms wrapped around his waist from behind, pulling his back against Hiroto's chest. Midorikawa turned his head in shock, only to find Hiroto's gleaming face atop his shoulder. "Did I scare you?" he winked.

Having not a single doubt that his blush reached his ears, Midorikawa started to blabber at random, struggling to find an answer. He failed to form a decent sentence upon realizing Hiroto, the one he adored with all his heart, was actually hugging him from behind.

Hiroto let out a chuckle at his flushing friend, either very oblivious or very good at ignoring the death glare that drilled through his head all the way from the beach. Desarm's eyes would be closed if he narrowed them any further, and his teeth gritted so tightly Ulvida could swear she heard a crunching sound. She sighed and said: "You know, it's not like your downfall isn't set in stone already, but you could at least focus on the game." She pointed with her eyes at the chess game between the two of them.

"If he thinks he's getting any from Ryuuji, he's mistaken." Desarm growled, turning back to their game. "I don't understand Ryuuji's infatuation with him." Ulvida sighed, watching Desarm make his move. "Maybe if you stopped seeing Hiroto as a predator, you'd understand." Desarm snorted loudly. "Maybe once he stops being one, I'll stop seeing him as one." Ulvida rolled her eyes.

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><p>Burn grumbled to himself as he scrubbed ruthlessly at the dishes. Why did he have to get stuck doing the stupid dishes? He'd already apologized! "If you scrub that any harder, you'll break it." Gazel's voice sounded behind him and the redhead spun around to glare at him. The white haired boy had opened the trunk of the van and was reclining in it with one leg hanging out the side. "You have a problem with the way I do this, you do it!"<p>

"You wish." Gazel responded, not even bothering to glance in the redhead's direction as he fiddled with his phone. "What are you doing?" Burn asked. "Texting Aphrodi." Gazel replied, rapidly typing out a message on his phone. "You actually get service out here?" Burn raised an eyebrow and Gazel nodded. "Yep."

"And power?"

"Solar chargers are your friends." Burn frowned and went back to scrubbing one of the pots. After a bit, he growled and chucked the sponge across the clearing. "This is so stupid. I can't believe Gran made us come out here."

"I can't believe you still refuse to call him 'Hiroto'." Burn crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "That would imply I actually like him on some level." Gazel rolled his eyes, then looked at his phone when it beeped and smirked. "Aphrodi says to get your head out of your ass."

"You've been texting him our conversation?" Burn all but shouted.

"Pretty much." Gazel said, sticking his tongue out at him. Burn growled and scrambled to his feet. "That does it!" he yelled, charging the ice user. Gazel looked alarmed for a minute before running towards the lake as fast as he could. "Watch this," he hastily instructed as he dropped his phone on Desarm and Ulvida's table, not wanting it to get wet. The two older teens simply rolled their eyes and resumed their game, not even bothering to comment.

As Gazel made his way to the lake, closely followed by Burn's shouting, he figured he had little chance of losing the hot-headed boy in the water. His eyes flicked to the cliff and Gazel suddenly grinned to himself as an idea jumped to mind. He made a sudden turn and ran all the way to the top, until he stood at the very edge and rounded to face Burn. The redhead managed a smirk of his own through his panting, suddenly looking rather devilish. "Nice move there, dumbass," he breathed, slowly approaching the silver-haired boy. "You can't escape me now."

Gazel said nothing, simply waiting for Burn to make the move he knew he was going to make. And he did. Burn suddenly launched at him, hands in the front to catch his prey, and Gazel stepped aside right when he reached out. Burn, running straight off the edge of the cliff, widened his eyes and turned to Gazel, who was once again grinning smugly. In the split second he had, Burn gritted his teeth, lashed out again and managed to clutch onto Gazel's wrist this time. Totally caught off-guard by this last-minute attempt, Gazel had no choice but to fly over the edge as well, exhaling a gasp in shock. Burn refused to let go of him until they hit the water, alerting Hiroto and Midorikawa with their sudden splash. Underwater, Gazel noticed he was free and quickly swam to the surface. Burn had also come up and sent him a wide grin, while Gazel gave a glare in return.

"Very funny," the ice boy snapped, and he was about to make for the beach when Burn whistled and said: "I think you're forgetting something." He brought his hand above the surface, revealing Gazel's cerulean swimming trunks. Hiroto chuckled while Midorikawa blushed, which Gazel did at least tenfold, his eyes going wide. That sneaky, impudent bastard…!

"Give those back!" Gazel screeched, trying to reach toward the redhead only to have him swim out of reach. Burn grinned wickedly and stuck his tongue out. "You want 'em? You'll have to come and get 'em!" he quickly kicked his way to the middle of the lake. Gazel growled and started to swim towards him as fast as he could without raising his lower body out of the water. Burn cackled and swam in circles around the white haired boy. He let Gazel get just barely within range, then kicked away rapidly, spraying the ice user in the face.

"Burn! This isn't funny!" Gazel cried. It was beginning to get dark now. "Burn! Stop messing around! It's too dark to be swimming!" Desarm called from the shore. Burn frowned deeply, allowing just enough of a pause for Gazel to grab his trunks back. He stuck his tongue out at Burn and quickly put is trunks back on. "Asshole." he mumbled as he swam back to shore. Burn growled and followed along.

Hiroto and Midorikawa had already retired to their tent and dressed in their pajamas. Hiroto was watching Midorikawa out of the corner of his eye as the greenette happily settled into his sleeping bag. He let out a happy sigh and rolled to face Hiroto. "This is fun. I hope we get to do this again." Hiroto laughed. "We still have three whole days ahead of us. Don't be planning next time already." the redhead slipped into his own sleeping bag and faced the green haired boy. "You made some good progress today though. We'll keep going tomorrow." Midorikawa smiled and nodded enthusiastically. After they had been practicing for a bit, he'd become more comfortable in the water and was excited to continue their lessons and spend more time with Hiroto.

"Desarm said he'd help too, so I'll learn even faster now." the greenette chirped happily. "I can't wait!" Hiroto smiled. "That's great. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time." He said. He rifled around in his duffle bag before producing a portable DVD player. "You want to watch a movie? I've got 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Shrek'."

Midorikawa sat up excitedly and quickly rolled onto his stomach. "Pirates, please!" Hiroto smiled and placed the DVD player at the front of the tent, settling next to the younger boy. Midorikawa blushed at the thought of being so close to Hiroto and tried to focus his attention as the movie started playing. It didn't help when Hiroto snuck an arm out of his sleeping bag and wrapped it around the greenette's waist. Midorikawa suddenly lost all focus and looked at the redhead, blushing due to the contact. "H-Hiroto?"

Hiroto returned the gaze, figuring his gesture was a step too far. He quickly retracted his arm and smiled: "Sorry."

"N-no, no, that's not what I meant!" Midorikawa said quickly. Nervous as he may be, he could never get enough of Hiroto's soft touch, it comforted him more than anything else. "I-I just… It was a bit sudden…"

"Do you want me to stop touching you?" Hiroto asked, not sounding as happy as he looked. "I can do that; just tell me, Midorikawa."

The greenette shook his head, blushing even further. "No… no, I don't want you to do that, Hiroto… I-it felt nice…"

Hiroto smiled when he heard that, only cherishing the boy more for his adorable shyness. "I'm glad," he said softly, moving his arm back to its original position. Midorikawa returned the smile before looking at the film again, enjoying it twice as much now that Hiroto was holding him.

"What are those two doing in there…" Desarm held a hand behind his ear as he tilted closer to the tent that belonged to the redhead and greenette. He wanted to make sure Hiroto wasn't pulling any stunts in the privacy of their alone time, but Ulvida once again interrupted him by tugging at his ear and dragging him over to their own tent. "Your tent's over here, sweetie."

"W-wait! I just wanna make sure that—" Desarm instantly stopped his protests when the girl looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Dezzy. You've _got _to stop obsessing over these two. If anything, Hiroto has only proven himself worthy of Midori-chan's affection today. Why can't you just leave them alone?"

"Because he sees me as his big brother," Desarm answered stubbornly. "He expects me to look out for him, and so I do."

"Look, all they're doing right now is watching a movie," Ulvida told him. "Hiroto isn't trying anything on him. And even if he did, we'd be the first to know. These tents aren't exactly made of stone."

Desarm sighed in reluctance. "Fine… He better not try anything the next three days either. Better yet, never." He was about to enter his own tent when Ulvida tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at her confusedly. "What is it?"

"I'm going first," Ulvida ordered. "I want that tent for myself while I change."

Desarm flushed instantly and averted his head, realizing she had a valid point. "R-right… go ahead."

"Thank you." Ulvida said, stepping past Desarm into the tent. The dark haired teen fidgeted awkwardly, trying to ignore the silhouette of his crush undressing. He quickly cast his eyes around the camp site and frowned when he located Burn crouching by the fire pit and poking rather excitedly at the fire. Raising an eyebrow, he approached the redhead. "Burn...what are you doing?" He questioned. The fire user looked up and grinned. "Seeing what happens when you put a full can of shaken up soda into a fire."

Desarm nodded before freezing when the redhead's words completely sank in. "You're what...?" Desarm jumped back when the soda can exploded, sending the can into the air. Soda rained down all around them. Burn cheered. "That was so awesome!" he instantly reached for another can only to have his hand caught by Desarm. He looked up curiously at the older teen.

"Bed. NOW." Desarm ground out. Burn pouted before standing and huffing off towards his tent. He unzipped the tent and stepped inside, only to freeze when he felt ice blue eyes on him. He looked up to meet the eyes of an angry Gazel, already dressed and ready for bed, sitting crosslegged at the back of the tent. Burn grinned nervously. "Still pissed?"

"What do you think?" Gazel hissed, glaring at the redhead. Burn laughed sheepishly and slipped towards his sleeping bag. He sat on it and gave the ice user a grin. "Aw, c'mon. You deserved it. And no one even saw anything. I could've been really mean and pulled them down when you were out of the water." Gazel frowned. "I hope you know this means war." He said firmly. Burn just shrugged.

"You're digging your own grave. I'm the master." Burn smirked and began to go through his duffle bag. He paused and rifled through it again before turning to Gazel. "Where are my clothes?" He asked. Gazel grinned. "How should I know?" Burn frowned and shifted to face the white haired boy. "What'd you do?" Gazel gave him a seemingly innocent smile. "Whatever are you talking about, Burn? I have no reason to know that your clothes are in a tree somewhere."

"Say WHAT?" Burn instantly zoomed back out of the tent and frantically scanned the area, but it was far too dark to make out his surroundings. They were camping in the middle of a forest; he had no chance of finding his clothes back before tomorrow. The redhead felt his cheeks heat up and gritted his teeth, fists clenching at the sides. "Son of a BITCH!"

"BURN! GO TO BED!"

Burn flinched when Desarm's voice roared from inside his tent and quickly did as he said. He'd been scolded more than enough by the older teen today. Once inside, Burn sent Gazel a death glare, which was answered with a simple, but self-indulgent grin. The other boy was now lying in his sleeping bag, resting his face in his hand as his elbow sank into his pillow. "Let's hope it doesn't rain tonight."

"Fuck you," Burn hissed spitefully, and he quickly made for his sleeping bag. He changed his swimming trunks for boxers when a sudden shiver caught him off-guard. The summer temperature had dropped considerably – definitely to a point where the cold-sensitive redhead wouldn't survive without his pajamas. He frowned in a mix of anger and worry and cast another look on his tent mate, who had placed his head on his pillow and looked ready to fall asleep. Burn knew he shouldn't, but he still snuck a peek at the space left in Gazel's sleeping bag. Seeing as the ice boy had a rather slender body, another Gazel could easily fit in there. As well as… a just as slender Burn.

"Move over," he snapped, and Gazel had barely opened his eyes when he suddenly felt his sleeping bag move. He gasped – and much more embarrassingly, blushed – when Burn's face appeared mere inches from his. He didn't have time to protest before Burn invaded his sleeping bag, startling the boy with the sudden physical contact. The fact that the redhead was almost completely naked didn't help. Gazel backed away as much as he could, which, sadly, was little to nothing. "B-Burn! What do you think you're doing?"

"If you think I'm gonna freeze to death because of your stupid prank, you're wrong," Burn said angrily, pressing his cheek into Gazel's pillow. "This is your own doing, bear with it."

"B-but—! At least pick someone else's sleeping bag!" Gazel stammered, for some reason struck by nervousness. "Or borrow their pajamas!"

"Desarm and Ulvida have bigger sizes and I'm definitely getting nowhere near Gran or Reize," Burn exclaimed. "You may be an asshole, but those four are five times worse. Be a man and learn to share, Gazel."

The blush on Gazel's cheeks rapidly spread when he heard those words. Had Burn just admitted to preferring him above all others to cuddle up with…? He watched in silence (or rather, plain awe) as Burn got comfortable and shut his eyes, clearly intent on ending the discussion and getting some sleep.

Gazel flushed furiously. He sucked in a breath and slowly lay down next to Burn. The white haired boy tried to put as much distance between them as possible but found it next to impossible. He shifted to turn his back to the other and tried to settle down. _'It's just Burn...It's just Burn...It's just Burn...'_

* * *

><p>Midorikawa gasped and jumped when the captain's zombie monkey popped on the screen. That thing always scared the heck out of him! Hiroto laughed slightly and ruffled the greenette's hair. "Scared?" Instead of responding, Midorikawa just sank into his sleeping bag, trying to hide a furious blush. Hiroto laughed again and tightened his grip around Midorikawa's waist and leaned over to gently nuzzle him behind his ear. Midorikawa felt his face heat up even more but found himself leaning into the embrace. Then the damned monkey reappeared again and ruined everything.<p>

Desarm looked up from his book when he heard a loud yelp. He raised an eyebrow and turned to Ulvida. "Did you hear that?" the blue and white haired girl nodded and continued to read her magazine. She reached out and grabbed Desarm's wrist when he made a move to get up. "Relax. You know how easily scared Midori-chan is. It's probably just something from the movie." she reassured, not looking up from her magazine. Desarm looked in the direction of the greenette's tent but reluctantly slipped back into his sleeping bag and returned to his book.


	4. Confession

**A/N: Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews, minna-san, we're very happy to receive so many compliments! ^.~ Enjoy the next chapter!**

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><p>Burn yawned loudly. Damn birds. <em>'God, I hate nature.' <em>he thought grumpily. The thin fabric of the tent did absolutely nothing to block the sunlight from invading their resting quarters and Burn had found it impossible to fall back asleep with the sun glaring at him. He sighed and made a move to get up, but was surprised to find his movement restricted...by a white haired boy. Gazel was clinging to his waist tightly, his face buried in Burn's stomach. Gazel...was clinging to him. Burn wasn't sure if his inability to decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing was due to his still asleep brain or the fact that he really didn't know.

"Burn! Gazel! Are you guys awake yet? Ulvida's almost done making breakfast." Desarm's voice drifted into the tent and Burn froze. It was a bad thing! Definitely a bad thing!

"I'm awake! I'll get Gazel!" He said hastily. He waited until Desarm's footsteps faded before focusing on the other boy again, who showed no sign of waking up despite the noise and light. Oh great, so this kid was a deep sleeper too…

"Gazel! _Gazel_!" Burn hissed, trying to keep his voice to a whisper. He attempted to wiggle out of Gazel's arms, but that only seemed to make the silver-haired boy tighten his clasp. Feeling himself blush, Burn started to regret sharing a sleeping bag instead of freezing to death. Freezing to death definitely would've been easier.

"Gazel!" he repeated a little louder, and he found himself exhaling in relief when he felt the other boy move. Rather than letting go, though, Gazel began to shift on top of him, still fast asleep. Burn reddened even further under the weight and tried his best to push him off, but Gazel was just as persistent in his sleep as he was awake. Perhaps even more. His head was now resting on Burn's shoulder, leaving his hair to tickle his face. Burn grabbed him by the shoulders and made another escape attempt, but he was powerless in Gazel's grip. He flinched when he picked up a conversation outside the tent: "Hey, are those… Burn's jeans?"

"I see some of his shirts too. Look, Hiroto." Burn saw Midorikawa's silhouette point towards the forest, and he froze abruptly when Hiroto's suddenly made for the tent. "I think Gazel wanted some revenge for yesterday. I'll tell Burn we found his clothes."

_No, no…!_ But Burn had no time take action. Hiroto popped through the entrance and started: "Burn, do you kno—… oh." He raised his eyebrows at the pair and actually started to blush a little. The fact that Gazel was lying on top of Burn, who was wearing little to nothing to begin with, hinted that he was disturbing them in the middle of something.

Burn, able to read his mind through his fazed expression, went completely red and stammered: "I-it's not what you think! He's asleep!"

Hiroto's face unfroze for a grin, a chuckle even. "So you're taking advantage of him by sneaking into his sleeping bag? Smooth, Burn, would've never thought of that."

"Shut the hell up and get out of here!" Burn barked. "And don't you dare tell anyone about this!"

"Alright, alright." Hiroto turned and left the tent, needing effort to suppress another snicker. He could've done useful things with this information back when he and the Chaos captains were still enemies.

Midorikawa came up to him and asked: "Did you tell him? He must've exploded out of anger…"

"Pretty much," Hiroto grinned, and he wrapped an arm around the greenette's shoulder, who instantly flushed at the contact. "Those two might take a while. Let's get some breakfast, Midori-chan."

Burn growled in his throat a little. Of all people to see him, it had to be Hiroto? Burn quickly renewed his efforts to remove the white haired boy from him. Gazel simply whined a little and gripped him tighter. The redhead sighed and relaxed for a moment, trying to think of a way to dislodge the boy.

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><p>Midorikawa giggled a little watching Hiroto trying to balance a stick upright on his finger. They were sitting on some rocks around the fire while Ulvida finished cooking. Desarm was watching them closely from the rock on the other side of the greenette and glaring at Hiroto. Said redhead leaned over and began trying to teach the other boy how to do it. Hiroto sat back slightly, watching the younger boy try to stabilize the piece of wood.<p>

_'He's so cute.' _he thought, smiling. He was always so impressed by the air of innocence the greenette seemed to be unable to get rid of. Even Endou had commented to him once that even Reize had had a strangely docile aura around him. Hiroto frowned slightly when he briefly remembered another observation, made by a friend of Endou's called 'Shadow'.

_"What's with this dark aura?"_

During the time of Aliea Academy, Midorikawa_ had _indeed become far more cynical and less trusting than he had been. Despite his low position, many of the higher ranking players wouldn't dream of crossing him. Granted, if you wanted something, he was the captain most likely to get it for you, but still..

Hiroto was jolted from his thoughts when Ulvida stood up and huffed slightly, looking toward Burn and Gazel's tent. "What could be keeping those two?" she wondered out loud. Hiroto snickered. "They're probably busy." Midorikawa gave him a confused look but the redhead just shook his head and mouthed 'it's nothing' to the green haired boy.

Ulvida sighed. "Well, they'd better hurry or it'll get cold. Midori-chan, can you go grab the silverware from the car? I'll see if I can get them moving." Midorikawa nodded, hopping to his feet and running to the car while Ulvida walked over the Chaos captains' tent and began shaking it. "Come one, guys! Get a move on!"

Hiroto chuckled a little to himself before he looked up to find Desarm staring him down. "What?"

Desarm gave him an unfriendly look and truthfully replied: "I'm warning you. If you get any closer to Midorikawa, I'll stop you. I know you're preying on him."

"I'm not 'preying on him'," Hiroto answered calmly. "We're simply having fun together, why is that so wrong?"

"I see the way you look at him," Desarm snapped, raising his voice out of anger. "You want more than to just 'have fun'." He moved off his rock and marched over to Hiroto's. Once in front of him, he bent over so much that Hiroto had to lean back in order to create a distance, albeit an intimidatingly small one. "Remember this, Kiyama Hiroto… I'm keeping an eye on you, and I _don't blink_."

Hiroto actually believed him, being stared down by that ominous pair of eyes. Desarm seemed capable of changing their colour to a devilish red at will, especially when he was angry; who knows what else he could do with them. After a moment of silence, the older teen moved back and walked off, leaving Hiroto to sigh to himself. He didn't doubt that Desarm was serious about his threat, and that made him want to prove himself worthy of the greenette all the more. Just for a second, he thought back to his superior position in Aliea Academy. Desarm didn't hesitate to obey his every command at the time, and despite him being just as protective of Midorikawa then as he was now, he would've been powerless had Gran taken the captain of Gemini Storm for himself. Realizing Desarm was going to form a bigger barrier than he'd expected, Hiroto almost regretted missing his chance in the past. Almost.

* * *

><p>"Burn! Gazel! What's taking so long? You can fix your hair later!" Ulvida shook the tent again when neither of the boys answered. Unbeknownst to her, Burn was beyond the verge of panicking and plain freaking out at this point. Gazel had proven himself unwilling – and with that, impossible – to be removed while asleep, which meant anyone could walk in on them anytime. Burn absolutely did not want to be seen in this position, even if being trapped in Gazel's arms had the effect of pleasing him somehow. Contrast to his assumptions, the ice boy's embrace was surprisingly warm.<p>

Burn shook his head, realizing now was not the time to think about that. "A-almost done! Just a sec!" he stammered, not knowing what else to say.

"Well, hurry up or we're starting without you," Ulvida informed firmly before walking off.

Burn simply sighed and flopped his head back into the pillow. He knew it was no use to struggle at this rate; Gazel wasn't going to let go of him for as long as he was asleep. Burn sighed again upon the realization that his reputation basically relied on Gazel waking up in the next five minutes – assuming that bastard of a Hiroto hadn't told on them already. Burn gritted his teeth at the mere thought of the former Genesis captain when he suddenly heard Gazel mumble to himself. The redhead perked up when the other boy continued to speak under his breath, but eventually raised his voice enough for him to hear: "… mm… Burn… Burn…"

Burn's eyes went wide as he, for some God-forsaken reason, started to blush again. Gazel was calling for him in his sleep…? What was he dreaming of? "G-Gazel?" he whispered before realizing it was idiotic to think the snoozing boy would actually respond.

"Burn…" Gazel repeated softly, his voice filled with an astounding amount of affection. He shifted a little and pressed his cheek against Burn's chest, causing his face to match his hair. Burn could actually feel his heart speed up the longer Gazel held him in the comfort of his warm, cozy sleeping bag. Due to last night's anger, he hadn't stopped to think about how intimate sleeping so close together actually was. Fully aware of it now, Burn became more and more torn between removing Gazel and lingering in his embrace. He perked up when the ice boy continued to speak a few seconds later, this time uttering something entirely different.

"… Burn… mm… I… love you…" Gazel muttered, and he clutched onto Burn's waist as if he was afraid to let him go.

* * *

><p>"Here's the utensils!" Midorikawa chirped, running up to Hiroto. The redhead smiled and stood up. "Cool. I'll dish up the food then." he said before picking up one of the plates. Ulvida returned then, huffing. "Those two still aren't out here yet! What could be taking so long?" Hiroto chuckled slightly, earning curious looks from Ulvida and Midorikawa.<p>

"Nothing." He said quickly. He handed Ulvida the plate he had finished putting food on and Midorikawa passed her a fork, smiling brightly. She took it and ruffled his hair before walking off to eat. Hiroto held up another plate. "Can you bring this over to Desarm?" He asked. The greenette nodded enthusiastically and took the plate, taking a minute to scout out the older teen before walking over. Desarm had settled himself on a rock at the edge of their clearing and was staring at the clouds. He looked down when he noticed the green haired boy's approach.

"Here you go." Midorikawa said.

"Thanks…" Desarm mumbled as he took the plate. He gazed at his food for a moment, absentmindedly, before he eyed the boy he saw as his little brother again. "… can I ask you a question?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure!" Midorikawa chimed, planting his hands behind his head in an easy-going fashion. "Ask away, Desarm."

"Right…" Desarm cleared his throat, urged to look away again, but he reminded himself that he wanted to see Midorikawa's expression when he asked his question. "… how do you feel about Hiroto?"

Midorikawa was clearly caught off-guard. "H-huh?"

"How do you feel about him? You two have been so close lately…" Desarm muttered, trying not to sound jealous. He didn't mind so much that he had less time to spend with the greenette, as Midorikawa was allowed to do whatever he wanted, but he had a big issue with the person he chose to hang out with.

Midorikawa lowered his hands and averted his own eyes, a blush colouring his cheeks. "I-I… uh… well, he's a great friend…" he started hesitantly, scratching his cheek with his index finger.

"But do you want to be more than friends?" Desarm inquired. "Do you think he's right for you?"

Midorikawa continued to redden and he hastily checked behind his back to make sure Hiroto was out of earshot. He then took a seat next to Desarm, staring at his feet. "… I… I like him a lot, yes… and I guess sometimes I wish we were more… It's not about whether he deserves me, though." The greenette couldn't possibly see it like that. Hiroto was smart, kind and all-around amazing, while he was just… him. He looked up at his big brother, who was letting his food get cold for the sake of their conversation. "… do you think… I deserve _him_…?"

Desarm was taken aback by that question. He had never regarded the issue from that angle; all he cared about was Midorikawa's well-being. But seeing as he went to quite a few lengths in order to keep him safe… Desarm didn't doubt that he, in the end, deserved whoever he fell in love with.

"Of… of course…" he said reluctantly, but truthfully. "You shouldn't doubt yourself so much, Ryuuji. You're a great person, there's nothing you don't deserve."

Midorikawa beamed when he heard that and grew a wide, grateful smile, emanating that air of innocence that pulled both Desarm and Hiroto in. "Thank you, Desarm…"

Desarm couldn't help but smile back and gently ruffled his hair. Midorikawa looked so happy just because he had spoken those few words; he really did care endlessly for the redhead. And Desarm knew that what counted the most was Midorikawa's happiness… he just didn't want to see it shattered. The black-haired teen raised his eyebrows when he saw Midorikawa's expression change, as though he was drifting off in a daydream. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh…!" Midorikawa came back to earth and blushed again, but managed a modest chuckle. "I was thinking about yesterday, when we… were in our tent."

Desarm instantly grew alert. "What happened in the tent?" Should he have intervened after all?

"W-well…" Midorikawa glanced back down and poked his index fingers together, once again looking nothing short of adorable. "We were watching a movie, and… you know how horror scenes frighten me… That's what happened yesterday, and… Hiroto hugged me and… his face was suddenly so close… Right here." He placed his hand behind his ear, shocking Desarm. His first reflex was to clench his fists and glare at Hiroto, really wanting to hit him with those fists. But then Midorikawa continued: "I-it was kinda embarrassing… and it didn't last long… but it still made me really, really happy."

Desarm slowly, albeit reluctantly, relaxed. He couldn't really do anything when Midorikawa himself expressed his approval for Hiroto's shameless act. He was still convinced that, in spite of Midorikawa's feelings for the redhead, he was capable of hurting and using him for his own benefits. His past as superior in Aliea Academy only fueled that suspicion.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Desarm and Midorikawa both shot up when Hiroto approached them, two plates in his hands. He handed one to Midorikawa and winked: "Must be important if it makes you forget about breakfast."

Midorikawa blushed and looked down, but was still smiling a little. "Sorry… Desarm asked me a question and I just started to ramble."

"Don't worry about it," both boys said in perfect unison, causing each other to stare at the other. Midorikawa giggled and Hiroto smiled, taking a seat on a bordering rock. Desarm eventually smiled as well, but only a little, before sending Burn and Gazel's tent a curious look. Those two still hadn't come out… Desarm first thought they were fighting or something, but there were no shouts or crashes, indicating Burn had broken something. What were those two doing?


	5. The revelation

**A/N: Woah, such wonderful and supportive reviews, thank you guys so much! ^.^ I know I keep saying it but I'm truly very grateful that you take your time to voice your thoughts. /hugs/ The name inconsistency is another aspect that I prefer to add to the list of iffy details in this story. As I said: there are things that could've been done better and the fic is in a way "weaker" than my other stories because it's a collab. You _could_ argue that it's our "job" to make the events fit together as it's not called a collab for nothing, but hey: we're writing what we want, we're having fun, like every author should. So again, I ask you take the story for what it is. I'm sorry for getting so defensive all the time; I'm just a very sensitive person and I'll defend my stories if the pointed out errors are mere details. In my opinion, a fanfic author can get away with a LOT before they truly deserve to have their story criticized. Back to the name thing: it probably turned out this way because me and Garfakcy-chan are used to saying them like this ourselves. ^_^' So yeah. I hope it can be overlooked. Oh, also, the chapters will be longer from here on because the story will end up at least twenty otherwise. XD; Enjoy~!**

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><p>By now, Burn had ceased his attempts to push the white haired boy away, since it was rather clear that he wasn't moving anytime soon. Besides, Burn's thoughts were more focused on the ice user's unconscious confession.<p>

Did Gazel really love him? More importantly, how did Burn feel about it if he did? He'd never really thought of Gazel as anything more than a good friend - a friend who he fought with constantly, but a friend none the less. Now, trapped in the white haired boy's embrace, he was forced to wonder otherwise.

He knew he had always found Gazel attractive, but that didn't mean he liked him. He thought Hiroto was handsome(even if he was a bastard) and Midorikawa was cute(if not a little ditzy), but he'd never thought either of them possessed the same kind of beauty the ice user did. He knew that, more than once, he'd found himself unable to stop staring at Gazel's crystal blue eyes and that he enjoyed it when the Diamond Dust captain smiled, especially when it was directed at him(which wasn't often). But did this mean he liked Gazel or just thought he was pretty?

The redhead stared at the ceiling of the tent, absentmindedly stroking the ice user's hair. It felt soft under his calloused fingertips and he could faintly smell something like lavender. He wrapped his other arm around his co-captain and relaxed against the pillow. He didn't mind it, holding the white haired boy like this. Gazel was warm against his bare skin and he fit against him perfectly. Gazel sighed a little in his sleep and snuggled up to the fire user.

_'He's like a little kitten.'_ Burn mused, brushing a few strands of hair out of the younger boy's face. He seemed so calm now, not his usual cold and collected calm, but a sort of relaxed and gentle calm. Burn had to admit he quite liked this side of Gazel. Not that he would ever admit it, but it made the ice boy rather cute, and strangely even more attractive. Burn didn't hesitate to place his other arm around Gazel's back as well, fully returning the embrace. He closed his eyes as a small, content smile crept onto his face. It embarrassed him to think this, but… being this close to Gazel felt really, really good. It was almost natural. Was it possible to consider him more than a friend…?

Burn opened his eyes when he felt Gazel move again. He expected him to shift idly before settling down once more, but this time, the silver-haired boy actually changed his position. Better yet, he started to lift himself. Burn felt his grip loosen and Gazel retracted his hands, only to place them on either side of the redhead and push himself up. By the time Burn realized he was finally waking up, Gazel opened his eyes, rubbed them tiredly, and gazed in front of him with a curious expression. He only then seemed to realize who he was sitting on and abruptly jumped away, backing off on his butt and hitting a tent pole.

"W-watch it, you'll break down the tent!" Burn stammered, but Gazel seemed the least concerned with the tent of all things. His eyes went big in shock and his cheeks were bright red. "B-B-Burn…! What did…! What did you do?"

Burn frowned in confusion. "What did _I_ do? You're the one who started clinging to me in his sleep! And will you keep it down, everyone's awake already."

Gazel was sure his heart stopped. _'I knew it! I knew this would happen! Why did it have to be Burn of all people?' _The white haired boy flushed furiously and quickly shoved the other back onto his own sleeping bag. "It was your fault for crawling into my sleeping bag!" Burn scowled and crossed his arms. "I only did that because you hid my clothes outside!"

"I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't pulled off my shorts!"

"You're the one who was blabbing to Aphrodi!"

"I'm allowed to text whomever I want, thank you much!" Gazel huffed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to will his blush away. He shuffled around so his back was to Burn. Burn 'humph'ed. "Well, I still can't leave until I have clothes, so if you would be so kind as to retrieve them for me..."

"Go get them yourself!" Gazel said stubbornly. Burn frowned then smirked. Gazel yelped when arms suddenly circled his waist and yanked him back against a firm chest. "B-Burn? W-what are you doing?" Burn chuckled a little in his ear. "You clung to me last night, now it's my turn. Besides, I'm kinda cold." Gazel's blush returned tenfold and he tried to push the other away. "T-then go back into your sleeping bag! Use your own body heat!"

Burn snickered again, not at all loosening his grip. "You need to relax, Gazel." He lowered his voice to a whisper, giving Gazel chills when his following words entered his ear: "When did I ever say I have a problem with you clinging to me…?"

Gazel was at a complete loss for words. He abruptly stopped struggling and simply gazed in front of him, almost instantly convinced he'd heard wrong. "W-what…?"

"I borrowed your sleeping bag to stay warm in the first place," Burn reminded him. He was still whispering, and Gazel's blush deepened when he could only describe the tone in his voice as… seductive. "I wasn't cold because you were holding me. You wouldn't let me freeze now that we're awake, would you…?"

"I… I…" Gazel squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get his train of thought in order. His head felt like a complete mess; not only had Burn destroyed his defenses by hugging him and using that awfully captivating voice, he actually found himself taking pleasure in the situation as well, confusing him even further. His cheeks burning, Gazel grabbed Burn's wrists and vainly tried to yank them off. The other boy always _**had **_been stronger than him. "B-Burn… We need to get breakfast…"

"In a minute," Burn told him, and Gazel flinched when he felt his lips land in his neck. He wasn't kissing him, per say, rather resting his face on his shoulder, but the gesture still sent his feelings flying for God knows what reason. Finding his strength back, Gazel started to resist again. As much as he enjoyed his current position, the realization that it was Burn of all people holding him was way too embarrassing. "Burn! S-stop it, you've had enough clinging time!"

Burn snorted. "I beg to differ. You've been clinging to me for hours." He was _definitely _enjoying the situation.

Gazel blushed harder. _Hours?_ He'd been clinging to the redhead for _hours?_" W-well, you should have woken me up!" he stammered out. Burn chuckled into his ear. "I tried to but you wouldn't budge. Never knew you were such a sound sleeper."

Gazel tried to say something but all that managed to come out was gibberish. Burn grinned into the other's neck. This was honestly more fun than it had seemed in his head. The white haired boy had the most adorable expression of embarrassment(from what he could see anyway) and he was blushing so cutely. And he liked it, holding the ice user against him like this. Quite honestly, he wasn't sure if he intended to let go.

Burn grinned wickedly when an idea formed in his head. The white haired boy had already confessed his love for him(albeit, unconsciously), so why not see how far he could get with the Diamond Dust captain? He ghosted his lips up to the other's ear and back down to his neck and began to ease a hand under the other's pajama top.

"W-what are you doing?" Gazel said, fighting to keep his voice low. The last thing he needed was for any of the others to come rushing to his rescue and find them in this..._compromising _position. Burn growled low against his neck and started to run his fingers over Gazel's abs. The white haired boy seized up instantly, sharply sucking in a breath. What had gotten into Burn? He was about to resist again when his co-captain touched one of his nipples and stayed there, rubbing it repeatedly. Gazel felt a small moan escape from his lips when Burn nipped on his ear again, actually making him feel a little excited. No, no, this was not the time to be enjoying this…!

"B-Burn!" Gazel stammered, trying (and failing) to sound fierce. He wanted to move away, but Burn's other arm held him in an iron grip, preventing him from going anywhere. What on earth was he doing? Was he just teasing him? Burn had never resorted to this… method before. The mere thought of this being little more than a game actually hurt Gazel a little. To him, it was definitely anything but a game.

Burn eventually pulled his arm back and brought it to Gazel's collar, intending to undo his pajama buttons. Gazel gasped at the action, flushing a deep red, and turned his head to the other boy in despair. "W-what are you doing? Stop it!"

Burn simply smirked. "Why? I don't see you calling for help." Gazel started to panic at the sound of those words. The redhead was well aware that his pride would be completely shattered if he drew attention to the tent right now. Burn stopped him whenever he tried to escape, and Gazel would keel over before crying out for help. But what other choice did he have? The smaller boy had no time to decide, as he was suddenly flopped on his back and towered by Burn, who pinned his hands on either side of his head. Burn smirked when he saw the panicked, embarrassed, vulnerable look on Gazel's flushing face. It actually excited him a little as well, even more so because Gazel no longer attempted to flee. Seeing as his legs were free, he could kick him off at any given time, but the boy refrained from doing so.

Burn lowered his gaze at Gazel's exposed chest, finding he quite liked the sight. Gazel's eyes went big as they followed Burn on his way to his torso, gently flicking his tongue across his nipple. Gazel squeezed his eyes shut and felt his back arch beyond his control. His body was starting to accept Burn advances more and more, regardless of what his brain thought. Gazel bit his lip when Burn repeated the gesture, completely powerless in his grasp. "B-Burn… please…"

Burn smirked and moved to grip both Gazel's wrists in one hand. "Please what?" He brought the other hand down and pinched the white haired boy's other nipple, rolling it around in his fingers. Gazel bit his lip and twisted around under the redhead. He tugged a little, experimentally trying to get his wrists free, but found the fire user had them in an iron grip. The white haired boy whimpered a little, then yelped quietly when Burn bit down on his nipple. He had to keep his voice down or the others would hear him.

Burn grinned and moved to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment. The hand that had been there previously began to slide down his abs until he reached the hem of his pajama pants. He pulled them down slightly, exposing Gazel's hip and began to rub his thumb over the pale skin.

"Burn!" the redhead jumped and instantly rolled off the younger boy, who lay there panting heavily, completely flushed partially from shock and partially from Burn's ministrations. Seconds later, the door to their tent flew open and Ulvida popped her head in, looking none too happy. "Why, pray tell, are your clothes outside in the trees?" Burn opened and closed his mouth a couple times, oddly looking like a fish, before managing an "I don't know..."

Ulvida rolled her eyes and chucked Burn's clothes at him. Then her eyes fell on Gazel and her annoyed look was replaced with a worried one. "Gazel? Honey, are you okay? Your face is really flushed." she reached down and pressed a hand to the ice user's forehead. "Oh dear, you're burning up! You just stay in here today. I'll go get some breakfast for you." Ulvida pulled out of the tent and headed off. Gazel rolled onto his side, putting his back to Burn and frantically tried to will away his blush. He jumped sharply when Burn, now fully dressed, leaned over him.

"We'll play again later." the redhead whispered, slowly licking his ear for good measure. Then he got to his feet and left the tent.

Gazel, barely moving, widened his eyes, only to squeeze them shut again. Burn's last words repeated themselves over and over in his head. Gazel probably wouldn't feel this upset about the "later" part if it weren't for the "playing" part. It really _was_ just a game to Burn… Granted, Gazel had no idea why that fact hurt him so much, but he still wished he knew what was going through Burn's head. And his own, for that matter. Even though Burn had acted without Gazel's consent, claiming he hadn't enjoyed it was a lie. But why was it a lie…? Why had he indulged in Burn's actions? Why hadn't he struggled more? Burn may be stronger than him, but Gazel could've still made it clear that he wanted him to stop. So why on earth hadn't he…? Would he be completely defenseless again if Burn seduced him a second time? Should he even give him that opportunity?

"Here's your breakfast, sweetie." Ulvida entered the tent with a plate and frowned when she saw Gazel flinch. He had pulled his knees up to his chest and his face was mostly pressed into his pillow, as if to fend off anyone who approached him.

"Gazel, are you alright?" Ulvida moved over and sat down next to the silver-haired boy. When Gazel didn't respond, she carefully touched him on the shoulder, but even the lightest bit of contact caused Gazel to twitch again. Ulvida frowned once more, starting to suspect he wasn't just sick. "… Gazel… did something happen…?"

Gazel gritted his teeth and kept his eyes shut, feeling tears well up behind his eyelids. With all of these confusing feelings building up inside of him, he really wanted to let them out, even if it caused the embarrassment of his life. Ulvida being like a big sister to him, she was probably the best candidate… She wouldn't beat up Burn like Desarm or grow speechless like Midorikawa. As for Hiroto… well, Gazel didn't even bother considering him.

The silver-haired boy slowly sat up and took the plate from Ulvida, starting to eat. He tried to formulate his story in his head, knowing Ulvida was patiently waiting for him to speak. She lifted her eyebrows in surprise, however, when the first thing he said was: "… can I switch tents with you? Or Desarm, I don't care…"

Ulvida blinked a couple times. "You want to switch tents? Why? Did you and Burn get into a fight or something?" She shifted to sit a little closer to the white haired boy. Gazel fidgeted. "Yeah...kinda..."

Ulvida tilted her head to one side curiously. "What do you mean 'kinda'? Did he hurt you?" Gazel put his plate down and pulled his knees into his chest. "Yes...no...maybe...I don't know..." Ulvida frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Gazel, what happened?" Gazel flinched slightly at her tone. "Well..."

"Banzai!" Midorikawa gasped when Burn's splash drenched him and Hiroto, the former Gaia captain frowning as he flipped his red hair out of his eyes. "Do you mind? We kind of need to be paying attention here." Hiroto had managed to get the greenette out into the deeper water where they could barely touch the lake floor. Midorikawa was clinging to Hiroto tightly, despite the other boy's reassurances that he wouldn't let go of him and let him drown. Hiroto smiled warmly at him, brushed through his green locks and frowned when Burn yelled: "Then get out of my landing space, there's plenty of room!" He then turned to his and Gazel's tent and shouted: "Oi, Gazel! Get outta here so I have someone to drown!"

Gazel flinched once more, which didn't go unnoticed by Ulvida. The boy just gazed at the entrance of the tent, his mind clearly elsewhere. He didn't understand how Burn could speak so casually after what he had done. Why was he acting like everything was normal…? Why was he talking like he usually did, right after invading his personal space in such a compromising way? Did he care that little? Did he fail to realize how much he had affected him, how much he had… hurt him?

Gazel blinked when he felt something repeatedly tap his hands, which were placed on his lap. He looked down and was shocked to find they were tears. "W-what…?" he stammered, touching his cheeks and realizing they were drenched. "W-why am I crying…?"

"Gazel…" Ulvida started, seriously worried now, but she couldn't speak before the boy suddenly launched at her, burying his face in her chest. He clenched his fists next to his head, his shoulders shaking heavily. He wanted to stop crying, but he couldn't. As soon as he realized he was doing something as degrading as crying, the tears just kept coming and coming. Gazel felt his heart ache inside his chest, causing him to spill even more tears. It was because of _him_… all because of him. Because he had made Gazel realize that he didn't merely see him as a friend.

Ulvida, despite being taken aback by the unusual sight, threw her arms around the boy and rubbed his back soothingly. "Shh, shh…" she whispered, placing her chin on Gazel's head. "It's okay, Gazel. Let it out. Tell me what happened."

Gazel continued to sob for a moment, too upset to speak. He clutched the fabric of Ulvida's shirt between his fingers and eventually muffled into her chest: "I-I love Burn… I love him… a-and I think he knows it…"

Ulvida was taken back for second. Gazel loved Burn? She had to say, she wasn't exactly surprised. When Gazel had first come to Sun Garden, he never spoke. The doctors had said it was 'muteness' caused by trauma(because watching your parents get murdered while you were forced to watch from the cabinet they locked you in for safety is pretty traumatizing). The other children had made countless attempts to include the white haired boy, but all he ever seemed to want to do was curl up in the corner and watch. Until Burn had finally stepped in, anyways.

_"Hey! We need one more player, so stop being a baby and get over here!"_

The redhead had then proceeded to drag him(literally) into a game of soccer and the two hadn't separated since. No, it didn't surprise her at all that Gazel was in love with Burn. But he thought Burn knew? That could be a problem. It was just like Burn to use these types of things to his advantage. Had he tried to blackmail Gazel or something?

Ulvida sighed slightly and continued to pet Gazel's hair, gently rocking him back and forth. Love was always a difficult thing for children to handle, especially when the child in question pretty much isolated himself from ninety-nine percent of the population. As much as she wanted to protect the younger boy, he needed to sort out his problem and running away and hiding wasn't going to help.

"… Gazel…" Ulvida started once Gazel stopped sobbing and simply continued to linger in her arms. "… what makes you think he knows…? Did you tell him?"

Gazel shook his head against her chest. "N-no… I didn't even realize until now… H-he seemed to know it before me…"

Ulvida raised an eyebrow in confusion. How was that possible? Burn may be sly to the point of resembling of a cunning antagonist, but he was dense as hell when it came to emotions, especially this one. Ulvida moved back a little, taking Gazel by the shoulders and gently making him look at her, and asked: "Did he… misuse that information?"

Gazel hesitated. He almost desperately wished Burn wasn't shallow enough to regard his feelings as nothing more than a pawn, but the fact that he had seen their "alone time" as a mere game caused a sting in his chest whenever he thought of it. He lowered his head, feeling his eyes grow wet again, and whispered: "P-please just let me switch tents…"

That was undoubtedly a yes. Ulvida lowered her eyebrows. Whatever Burn had done, it had left Gazel hurt as well as scared; an effect only he could possibly inflict on the ice-cold Chaos captain. It didn't surprise Ulvida that Burn was capable of twisting Gazel's emotions, especially after hearing his confession. She momentarily hesitated herself. She didn't want to stress Gazel by denying his request, but even if they switched, he would still feel on edge for the rest of this trip.

"… Gazel… isn't it better to talk this out with Burn…?" Ulvida asked carefully. "I know it hurts, and I know it's hard… but you can't avoid him for the rest of your life."

Gazel shot up and stared at her as if she'd gone mad. "N-no…! You don't understand! If we don't switch before tonight, he will…!" He abruptly stopped talking and averted eye contact, flushing a deep red when he recalled the feeling of being completely submissive to Burn's advances. True, he had enjoyed it… but he didn't want to enjoy it if Burn thought nothing of it. That would only hurt him more.

Ulvida raised an eyebrow. "He'll what, Gazel?" The white haired boy shook his head rapidly. "Nothing! It's nothing!" Gazel scrambled to his feet and darted past her.

"Gazel!" Ulvida jumped up and ran after the ice user but when she got out of the tent he had disappeared. "Gazel?" she called again, wandering off towards the lake to look for the boy. Said boy, however, was hiding behind the car in the opposite direction. He watched he leave before sliding open the van door and crawling inside. He slid into the back of the van and curled up on his side, grabbing one of the extra blankets that had been left there and tugging it up over himself.

Desarm looked up from his book when Ulvida came running down the beach, looking worried. "What's wrong?" He asked when she came within earshot. "I can't find Gazel. He got upset then ran out of the tent and now I can't find him." Desarm placed his book aside and stood quickly. He turned to the lake and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ryuuji! Hiroto! Burn! Get over here!" the three quickly made their way to the beach and looked at Desarm curiously.

"Gazel's missing." Their looks of curiosity were instantly replaced with shock. Burn bit his lip. Had he scared the other boy? He had a tendency to forget how sensitive the Diamond Dust captain could be. "Get changed. We need to go look for him. This isn't a campsite, so it's not safe you wander too far." Desarm then spun on his heel and walked back to his tent, Ulvida following behind. Hiroto and Midorikawa went off to their tent too while Burn grabbed his discarded clothes before heading back to his. He climbed inside and changed into his boxers and tugged his jeans on. As he popped his head out of his shirt, something in the corner of the tent caught his attention. A stuffed bear.

He turned around and lay on his stomach, reaching out to pick up the toy. He turned it around in his hands a couple times. _"He seems to be suffering from a form of post-traumatic stress. He's terrified of people leaving him, so he detaches himself subconsciously." _When he'd heard the doctor explain that to their 'father', he hadn't known what half the words meant. Of course he did now, but by now Gazel had mostly managed to recover. Except for his sleep-clinging. Burn supposed it was so people didn't leave him while he was sleep. It was weird that he'd never minded the clinging when they were younger, but after their separation in Aliea Academy, they hadn't shared a bed in years and it was awkward. They had never shared one on a normal basis, only when Gazel had nightmares. That's why he'd given him the bear in the first place.

* * *

><p><em>"B-b-bu-but...but..." Nagumo sighed slightly to himself, watching the tiny 6 year old try to stammer out excuses. "I'm just goin' fer a week. It's not like I'm leavin' ferever." the white haired boy sitting on his bed sniffed loudly and rubbed at his eye. Their 'father' had decided to let some of the older kids(7 and up) go to sleepaway camp for a week. Gazel, being 6 still(and still receiving therapy), couldn't go and Burn was going. He'd been crying for almost an hour now and Burn had tried unsuccessfully to calm him down. Burn rubbed his head and looked around the room in thought and grinned when he spied something in the corner of his room. He scrambled off the bed, grabbed it and raced back.<em>

_"Here!" Gazel blinked at the stuffed bear being held in front of his face and rubbed his eye again. "If ya get scared, ya can just hold onto this! Ya can still come in ma room if ya want too." Gazel sniffled a little and lowered his hand, hesitantly taking the bear from the redhead. Burn grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "I'll be back in no time! So stop cryin', kay?"_

* * *

><p>He never ended up reclaiming the bear from the white haired boy, especially after the younger boy had begun carrying it everywhere with him for the next 2 years. He'd quite honestly completely forgotten about it. But Gazel had kept it all this time and even brought it with him on this trip. Burn sighed and rested his forehead in his hand.<em> 'God, I screwed up.'<em>

"Burn! Come on! Get your ass in gear!" Hiroto called from outside the tent. Burn quickly shoved the bear into Gazel's sleeping bag and got to his feet. "I'm coming! I'm coming!' he called back. He stepped out and walked over to the rest of the group. Desarm and Ulvida looked to each other and nodded. Desarm spoke first.

"Ulvida and I are going to search back towards the road. Ryuuji and…Hiroto…" he cast an 'I hate you' look to Ulvida who just grinned. "…are going to search the perimeter of the lake." Burn raised an eyebrow. "So what do I do?"

"_You_ stay here in case he comes back." Ulvida said firmly. Burn opened his mouth to protest but shut up when both older teens gave him a look. "Alright, let's go." Desarm said and the groups split off. Burn huffed and leaned against the van. "Why do _I _have to get left behind?" He mumbled. He started to walk back toward the campfire but stopped when he noticed something and quickly moved to peek in the back window of the car. Sure enough, a white tuft of hair was peeking out from under a lumpy blanket.

Burn smacked his forehead. "He's sleeping in the fucking car." He muttered. He cupped his hands around his mouth and made to scream after the others but stopped. Maybe this was a good chance to finally talk to the other Chaos captain. As quietly as he could, he slid the van door open and climbed into the back. He carefully peeled back the blanket. Gazel shifted a little but otherwise didn't stir at all. He was sound asleep.

Burn rolled his eyes when he remembered how his last attempt to wake the boy ended. He could try, but he doubted he would get anywhere. Instead, he decided to keep Gazel company until he woke up by himself. Burn sat down next to him and stole half of his blanket, guessing – and guessing right – that it wouldn't shake the other boy out of his sleep. All Gazel did was lean over and rest his head on Burn's shoulder, which the redhead didn't protest to. The least he could do was let Gazel have a peaceful sleep after scaring the crap out of him. As he took in the serene look on Gazel's sleeping face, Burn got the urge to wrap an arm around his back, but decided against it. He didn't want to intimidate Gazel into thinking he was going to play with him again.

Minutes of silence passed by, and Burn started getting bored of aimlessly scanning the inside of the van. He eventually resorted to resting his head on Gazel's and shut his own eyes, figuring a moment of sleep for himself couldn't hurt after the summer sun had woken him early. But just as Burn was about to doze off, his source of support vanished and the right side of his face hit the floor. He hissed in pain and opened his eyes again, only to see a panicked Gazel crawl away from him on his butt. Judging by the look on his face, he was scared to death. "Gazel …"

"N-no! Leave me alone!" Gazel jumped up and ran for the door, but Burn managed to catch his wrist, trying to hold it as gently as he could.

"Gazel! I'm not here to hurt you. I'm sorry!" Burn blabbed out when Gazel continued resisting. His sudden apology made the ice boy freeze and stare at him in shock. Burn sighed, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, and lowered his head in shame. "… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you back then. I… I was a bastard. I did that to you even when you told me to stop, I'm sorry."

Gazel, while still taken aback, started to relax when he heard that. He could tell Burn wasn't going to try anything this time. He briefly rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't going to cry and quietly asked: "Why did you do it, Burn…?"

Burn sighed again. He was kinda clueless about it himself. "… I don't know… I just… wanted to have fun, I guess… You confessed your love for me in your sleep, so I figured, let's see how far I can go…"

Gazel widened his eyes. So _that's_ how he knew. He had blabbed it out in his sleep. As if clinging to him wasn't embarrassing enough… Gazel turned away his own head when he felt it grow warm. He was in love with Burn… and Burn was aware of that. Oh God, what if he had torn apart their friendship, or what little there was…? Burn mattered so much to him… Gazel didn't want to lose him, he _needed _him. If Burn rejected him now, it would be solely his stupid fault.

Burn looked up when he heard small sobs and gasped when he saw Gazel was crying after all. He realized he was still holding his wrist and quickly let go, but that didn't prevent the silver-haired boy from shedding tear after tear. Burn now started to panic as well. He had apologized, hadn't he…? Had he scared Gazel that much? Burn was aware of his reluctance to make physical contact, but he knew he had enjoyed it… at least a bit.

Burn was about to say something – although he had no clue what – when Gazel returned his gaze and sobbed: "P-please… Don't say it. Don't say you don't want me anymore. I'll get rid of these feelings, somehow, just, please…" He slapped his face into his hands, feeling his heart hurt just from imagining his world without Burn. Burn was the one that had entered it, Burn was the one who had enlightened it. Burn had freed him from his prison and given him another chance. It was all thanks to him Gazel was where he was now… He would get completely lost if Burn let go of his hand, after years and years of holding onto it.

Burn blinked in surprise. He had definitely not expected Gazel to say that. He had made an unwanted move – quite a few of them, actually – and Gazel begged _him _not to leave? Somehow, this felt rather reversed. The longer he looked at the crying boy, the guiltier Burn felt. There was no way he would leave or reject Gazel, he meant way too much to him. Even if he wasn't sure how he felt about him – though admittedly, his heart made a bounce whenever Gazel's "I love you" repeated itself in his mind – Burn didn't want to leave him. He didn't want to destroy whatever it was they had.

"Gazel…" he started softly. He took a step closer, and when Gazel didn't make any effort to back away, Burn fully closed the gap by wrapping him a tight embrace and pressing the other boy close. Not tightly, not forcefully, but as tenderly as he could. All Burn wanted now was to reassure him. He heard Gazel gasp on his shoulder and rubbed his back to soothe him, to show him everything was alright. "… you're a real idiot, Gazel. Do you honestly think I would be so cruel, after we've been together since we were kids…?"

Gazel's eyes widened in shock. Burn wasn't going to leave him? Did that mean he didn't mind his feelings? That maybe he...? Burn loosened his hold on the other boy slightly and tilted Gazel's face up. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere." Then he leaned in and kissed him.

Gazel tensed up at first, eyes growing even wider than before, but gradually relaxed into the kiss and shut his eyes. Burn moved his hand from under Gazel's chin and brought it to the back of his head, entangling it in the boy's white hair.


	6. Evening romance

**A/N: Yeeeah, I'm well aware the chapter title sucks. As a matter of fact, nearly all of 'em do, why did I decide to name the chapters anyway. XD; I guess I like giving them each a bit of an identity. Alright, enough rambling, enjoy the new chapter, everyone! -heart-**

* * *

><p>"That's so cute." Ulvida cooed, looking down at the Chaos couple sleeping together in each other's arms, curled up under the blanket. After nearly an hour of searching, she and Desarm had finally decided to return to the campsite and found the two in the van, sound asleep.<em> 'Guess they worked it out'<em> she thought happily. Desarm, however, didn't seem to be in as merry a mood.

"Where are they? They should have gotten back by now! That devil pulled something, I know it!" Ulvida sighed, listening to Desarm's rant. She hoped for Hiroto's sake that he would get back soon.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, however, it was clear to the redhead they wouldn't be getting back anytime soon. The beach had eventually dissolved into forest and they'd begun what they thought was a quick track to the other side of the lake. All they'd managed to do though was get themselves lost.<p>

Midorikawa kept close behind Hiroto, eyes darting everywhere in paranoia. Every time something moved, he jumped about 5 feet into the air. Hiroto kept a tight grasp on the greenette's hand, silently assuring him they were fine.

"Maybe Gazel's been found by now…" he muttered to himself, keeping his eyes front and center to prevent walking into a tree. "Too bad we don't have our cell phones…"

"H-Hiroto…" Midorikawa whimpered, making absolutely no effort to hide how scared he was. He was trembling all over and Hiroto's hand was about to turn numb in his grasp. "What if we're walking further and further away from the others…? I-I think the campsite's the other way."

"No, I think this is the right direction," Hiroto answered. He flashed his friend a small smile, not wanting to confirm he was lacking just as much coordination as him. "I'm sure we'll find the way back, Midori-chan."

Midorikawa frowned unsurely, but flinched when he heard something move in the bushes. He squeezed Hiroto's hand until it coloured purple when the lingering sound came closer and closer. "H-Hiroto…!" The greenette backed off in horror and Hiroto went to stand in front of him, just in case. He couldn't help but snicker, however, when all that emerged from the bushes was a rabbit.

"It's a rabbit, see?" He smiled and turned around to face his friend, but widened his eyes when he saw Midorikawa was slowly falling backwards – right off of a sharp-edged hill.

"Midorikawa!" Hiroto tried to pull him back up, but only found himself being tugged along. In a flash, his mind narrowed to just one goal: protecting Midorikawa. He managed to wrap him in his arms and pressed one hand on Midorikawa's head, trying to cover him as much as he could while the two rolled off the hill.

Midorikawa gasped when his back suddenly hit a flat surface, indicating they were lying at the bottom of the hill. He opened his eyes after keeping them shut from the point Hiroto had pushed his face into his chest, and he exhaled a gasp when he saw bruises and scratches on his face. His clothes were also ripped here and there. "H-Hiroto…"

The redhead groaned a bit while he lifted himself, but quickly sent a warm smile at the greenette underneath him. His body was aching on more places than he desired, but all he could bring himself to care about was Midorikawa's safety. "Are you alright…?"

Midorikawa felt his eyes tear up when he heard that. Was he alright…? What was he asking, _he_ was the one covered in bruises! Midorikawa couldn't contain his emotions when he realized how much Hiroto had done to protect him. He was completely unharmed, all thanks to him. He was such a wonderful, caring person…

Hiroto frowned in worry when he saw Midorikawa cry and began to touch his face, checking for injuries. "Midorikawa! What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Midorikawa shook his head and, in the heat of the moment, clasped Hiroto's face in his hands and pulled it down, clashing their lips together. Hiroto froze for a moment, completely taken aback by the other boy's initiative. It was only when the greenette pulled back and started panicking that he managed to smile.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" Midorikawa stammered, his cheeks burning instantly. "T-that was—I—I'm so—" Hiroto cut him off with another kiss, making him petrify this time. Midorikawa felt his eyes grow and instantly thought he was dreaming, but the longer the kiss lasted, the more he embraced it. While Hiroto deepened the kiss and lay his hands on his cheeks, Midorikawa slowly wrapped his arms around his neck, encouraging him.

"HIROTO!"

Both boys jumped when a booming voice ripped through the moment. They looked up to find Desarm staring at them, trying to catch his breath. He had resorted to looking for the boys by himself, worried to death about the greenette. Both Hiroto and Midorikawa gulped when they saw the look on his face. Desarm was _infuriated_, to say the least.

Desarm's eye twitched like mad. "What...do you think...you are doing...Kiyama Hiroto?" Desarm grit out the question and Hiroto swallowed hard. He was so dead. Desarm practically leapt down the steep terrain and was storming towards Hiroto but stopped abruptly when a certain greenette stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest.

"I kissed him first." Midorikawa said simply. Desarm opened and closed his mouth a couple times, looking oddly like a weird fish. "But...but...but..." Desarm frantically tried to come up with an excuse to pummel the redhead without upsetting the green haired boy. Finally, after going through many excuses in his head and finding them all to be useless, he sighed.

"Fine." he then leaned to look over Midorikawa's shoulder at Hiroto. "But I'm watching you." he warned. Hiroto just smiled. Midorikawa beamed as well and hugged Desarm tightly around the waist. "Arigato, nii-san!" he cried happily. Desarm blushed a little at the show of affection and patted the greenette's head. "S-sure. Let's get going now, it will be dark soon."

"Do you know the way back?" Midorikawa asked unsurely. When Desarm nodded, Hiroto added: "Did you find Gazel?"

"Yeah. He was asleep in my van," Desarm answered, and the redhead let out a snicker. "That's painfully close to the campsite."

"So we got lost for nothing…" Midorikawa pouted, but he looked up when Hiroto took him by the hand and winked. "That's not true, Midori—… Ryuuji. If we hadn't ended up here, you wouldn't have—"

"He knows what he wouldn't have done," Desarm growled. He wasn't in the mood to hear the two of them confirm they'd kissed. Just thinking back to Hiroto lying on top of the greenette made his blood boil. He clenched his fists and started to march to where he'd come from. "Let's just go."

Hiroto and Midorikawa obediently followed him, their hands entangled all the way to the campsite. Once they arrived, they saw Ulvida was just getting started on dinner, while Burn raced towards the lake with Gazel close on his heels. Ulvida called the younger boy to her for a moment and asked: "You still wanna switch tents?"

Gazel smiled shyly. He could tell by her tone that she already knew the answer. "No… It's fine. Thanks for this morning, Ulvida."

"Anytime, sweetie," Ulvida winked. Gazel felt a bit embarrassed when he thought of how much he'd cried in front of her and flashed a grin. "Besides, I'm sure you prefer to cuddle up with Desarm anyway," he teased before running off to play in the water with Burn.

Ulvida mimicked Desarm's earlier fish impression before blushing heavily. "G-Gazel!" She yelled after the white haired boy. She intended to yell more but silenced herself when she noticed the said dark haired teen approaching, the remaining two of their charges in tow. And he didn't look all that happy. She smirked as Hiroto pulled Midorikawa towards the beach and Desarm plopped down onto a rock next to her.

"Something happen?" she asked. Desarm just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, sulking. She grinned and turned her gaze to the couple now cuddling on a log near the beach. She rolled her eyes and sighed before grabbing the teen's hand and dragging him to the beach. She sat down in the sand next to the log and yanked Desarm down with her, failing to notice the blush completely dominating the Epsilon captain's face. Midorikawa giggled quietly to himself and snuggled closer to Hiroto. A loud splash then sounded and Burn appeared briefly above the water before scrambling on top of a rock and striking an 'I'm the king of the world' pose. "Hey! Gran! Stop being all lovey-dovey and get your ass in here! I wanna race!"

Back on the log, Hiroto rolled his eyes and tightened the arm he had around Midorikawa's waist. "I'm good. Thanks anyways." Burn smirked and planted his fists on his hips. "You scared or something? Don't want to embarrass yourself in front of your girl frie-!" Burn instantly cut himself off when he felt hands grip the edges of his shorts and a sudden, unfamiliar breeze between his legs. Hiroto's jaw dropped and Desarm scrambled up to cover Midorikawa's eyes, nearly knocking him off the bench in the process. Ulvida blushed heavily and the white haired boy behind him began cackling insanely.

"G-Gazel!" he screamed. The ice captain just continued to laugh. "Pay back's a bitch, Burn!"

Burn quickly pulled his shorts back up, desperately wishing Gazel of all people hadn't seen his you-know-what, and caught the other boy off-guard by clasping his arms around his waist. He lifted Gazel up before he could protest and threw him straight into the water. The fire captain started to laugh at his own counterattack, but went quiet when Gazel didn't come back up. He moved to the edge of the rock, trying to peek into the water and spot the other boy. Just as he began to panic about Gazel's disappearance, said boy's hand shot out of the water and grabbed Burn's ankle, tugging him in as well. Burn yelped in shock as he hit the water and instantly came back up to splash Gazel.

The other four teens watched the pair with a smile. They were all happy to see Burn and Gazel play together without a care in the world, and none of them – except Midorikawa – failed to notice that something had changed compared to yesterday. True, they were teasing each other like always, but something seemed… different. They shared more body contact and constantly sent each other smiles that could only be described as loving.

Ulvida sighed happily, content with the progress, when she picked up an odd smell. "Oh, the food!" She hurried back to the barbecue, leaving the three boys at the log. As soon as she was gone, Desarm turned his head to the new couple and sent the redhead a dark stare. Hiroto held one hand around Midorikawa's waist and had entangled the other with his on the greenette's lap. The two were smiling sweetly at each other before Midorikawa felt a glare on them and frowned at Desarm. "… Desarm… you said it was fine…"

"I also said I'll be watching him." Desarm pointed grumpily at Hiroto, who simply smiled in response. "You always worry so much about others, Desarm," he pointed out. "Don't you have someone in your own heart?"

Desarm blushed considerably. "That...that is of no importance to this conversation!" Midorikawa laughed behind his hand. He tugged on Hiroto's shirt. "I know who he likes..." Hiroto raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?"

"Ryuuji..." Desarm said in a warning tone and the greenette just stuck out his tongue and quickly leaned to whisper into Hiroto's ear. Hiroto snickered. "Really now?" Desarm blushed and frantically waved his arms around. "He's lying! Whatever he told you, it's a lie!"

"But Ryuuji doesn't lie," Hiroto reminded him, wrapping an arm around Midorikawa's shoulder and pulling him closer. The greenette beamed while Desarm tried not to get annoyed about Hiroto's use of his first name. Only he had done that up to his point. When he looked away in silence, a blush colouring his cheeks, Hiroto chuckled and asked: "She doesn't know, does she?"

Desarm abruptly stared at him and shook his head. "O-of course not! As if I could ever tell her something that embarrassing! She'll lose total respect for me!"

"How are you so sure of that?" Hiroto inquired. "Ulvida is a girl; of course she isn't unfamiliar with these kinds of feelings."

Desarm bit his lip, but twitched when Hiroto added: "Why don't you try to get closer to her?" and shot him a glare. "I'm not some kind of shameless predator, like you." Hiroto let out a laugh. "I wasn't preying on Ryuuji, I just wanted to spend more time with him." He looked at Midorikawa for a moment, planting a kiss on his nose. "Because I love him."

Midorikawa blushed crimson when he heard those words, speechless for a moment. Before he could find the breath to answer, Desarm purposely interrupted and said: "There is no way I'm imitating you and trying to f… fli…" He turned his head to Ulvida for a moment, blushing even more just thinking of flirting with her. Desarm wondered if he was even capable of that. He always felt so awkward just when she smiled at him, and touched him, allowing him to admire her gorgeous features and soft skin… He was completely blown away by this girl, even if it shamed him to admit it. She was so… so beautiful, and considerate, and amazing, and…

"Desarm? Aliea to Desarm! Come in Desarm!" Hiroto's voice cut off Desarm's thoughts and the redhead chuckled when Desarm jumped from Midorikawa's hand waving around in his face. He blushed again and diverted his eyes toward the lake.

"What do you think they're talking about..." Gazel said softly, folding his arms on top of a rock and resting his chin on his arms. Burn stopped swimming for a moment to look to him then to the group on the beach. "Beats me. Probably just Desarm giving those two a hard time."

"Mm." Gazel tilted his head to one side and continued to watch the shore. He gasped loudly when he felt arms suddenly encircle his waist and Burn's chin rested on his shoulder. "B-Burn?" he started to turn his head towards the other but stopped and gasped when he felt a hand slide into his trunks.

"B-B-Burn! Not here, you idiot!" Flushing madly, Gazel began to struggle in Burn's grip, which only led the redhead to tighten it. "Eh…? So you admit you want it now, hm?" Burn flicked his tongue across his sensitive skin and Gazel instantly felt that exciting spark from before return. "N-n-no, I—! We're in plain sight, stop this!"

Burn snickered and took him by the hand, leading Gazel to a much bigger rock. He urged Gazel back against it and pressed his hands at the sides of his head, entangling their fingers. "There… No one can see us now." He then leaned in and kissed the other boy passionately.

Gazel blushed madly, his eyes wide for a moment. He felt Burn press their bodies together and eagerly returned the kiss, but broke it when he couldn't shake off a small concern that kept lingering in his mind. Burn pulled back, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Not really knowing how to voice his worry, Gazel turned away his red head, trying to formulate a sentence. "T-this…" he started in a nervous tone. "This is not just… playing, right?"

Burn smiled as he realized what Gazel meant. He took the other boy's chin in his hand and turned his head back, reinitiating eye contact. "Not in the slightest, Gazel," he whispered warmly.

Gazel's dark eyes instantly lit up, a smile shining on the ice captain's face. He happily wrapped his arms around Burn's neck, pulling him closer again. "Still, couldn't you at least wait until tonight…?" he whispered against his lips.

Burn pouted. "You're gonna make me wait? Seriously? But I want you." Gazel rolled his eyes and ducked under the water, resurfacing behind the redhead. "Then you're gonna have to catch me." he said, winking before going under the water and swimming away. Burn gaped for a second before darting after him.

Back on the shore, Desarm had(reluctantly) left the other duo on the beach to help Ulvida with the cooking. Midorikawa smiled happily as he snuggled up against Hiroto. The redhead looked down at the greenette, smiling as well and tightening his arm around him. Now that he finally had a hold on the Gemini Storm captain, he didn't ever want to let go. After a bit, Midorikawa's breathing evened out and he relaxed completely against Hiroto. The redhead shifted his head into his lap and gently started to stroke his fingers through the soft hair.

_'He's so beautiful.'_ he thought. He had missed this side of Midorikawa, the trusting and cheery side rather than the cold and hard side. Once Aliea had been established, the happier Midorikawa had been slowly replaced by the distant Reize and before long, the greenette wouldn't so much as say his name(not even his alien name, his alias) without dropping to one knee.

"Ryuuji..." Hiroto whispered, and Midorikawa opened his eyes after resting in his lap, astounding the redhead with the inviting warmth in those deep orbs. "Yes…?"

"I… love you. I really love you." Hiroto held the greenette closer, wanting nothing but to keep him in his arms for as long as he could. It was almost like he was trying to make up for old times, for the year-long gap that had been keeping them separated. "I love you…"

Midorikawa's entire face went dark red, each time a bit more when Hiroto said that sentence. He was speechless for a moment, honestly still in awe to ever hear the other boy confess his love to him, but then he relaxed again and smiled brightly. "I love you too, Hiroto."

Hiroto returned the smile and gently lifted his head a little, bending over himself so their lips could meet. They shot up, however, when a cry from the lake broke through the moment. Gazel was racing across the lake, determined to shake off a whining Burn who had clasped onto his waist in despair. "Gazeeeel, don't leave meeheeheeee!"

Hiroto and Midorikawa both let out a laugh before smiling at each other again. "Do you think those two are together?" Midorikawa asked. Hiroto briefly glanced at the other pair again and flashed an all-knowing grin. "Without a doubt."

Meanwhile, Ulvida was about to finish cooking. She cast a look on Desarm, who had resorted to setting the table. The blue-and-white-haired girl noticed the other teen looked rather… absent. In a different way from when he obsessed over Hiroto and Midorikawa. He hadn't said a word since she asked him to take care of the dishes. "I'm surprised you're not keeping an eye on those two." She grinned and tilted her head towards the pairing on the log. Desarm looked at her, then at them, and back at her again. He then focused his gaze on the table. "Y-yes, well… At this rate, there's not much I can do about them, Ulvida-sama."

Ulvida was about to flip a hamburger when she froze. She blinked at the other boy in confusion, wondering if she heard wrong. "Did you… just address me as 'sama'?"

Desarm petrified as well, nearly dropping the plate he was holding. Oh crap, what had he done? He had been so caught up in thoughts of her that he reverted back to his Epsilon self, who did nothing _but _address his superiors with utmost respect. He and Ulvida may be equals now, but due to his feelings for her, Desarm had a tendency to keep putting her above him. Or rather, to put himself below her. He blushed when their eyes met, hers still filled with surprise. "I-I…" he stammered, improving on his earlier fish impression. "I-it was a slip of the tongue, I—hey, dinner's almost ready, right? I'll go tell the others!" The dark-haired boy quickly finished his duty and zoomed to the lake.

Ulvida 'humphed' and planted her hands on her hips. _'What has gotten into that guy?'_she wondered then smiled slightly to herself and went back to cooking. He was so cute when he got flustered like that...

Hiroto and Midorikawa looked up when Desarm suddenly appeared next to them, panting and red-faced. Midorikawa giggled and sat up. "Did you tell her?" Desarm gave him a look. "I guess not. You should! You guys would be a cute couple!" the greenette chirped happily. Desarm smirked lightly and ruffled Midorikawa's hair, drawing another giggle from him. The black haired boy straightened up and fixed his shirt.

"The food's almost ready. Let's go." He gave Hiroto the evil eye one more time before turning and walking stiffly back towards the campsite. Midorikawa grabbed Hiroto's hand and skipped off after him, pulling the redhead behind him. Hiroto paused for a moment to wave his arms around to signal Burn and Gazel.

Gazel had finally managed to free himself from Burn and quickly ran back to the shore and hid behind the couple. Burn just went around them and picked Gazel up, carrying him back to the campsite over his shoulder, the white haired boy protesting the whole way. Ulvida let out a laugh when she saw them and took a seat at the table, the others following her example. "You two certainly seem closer than before."

"Trust me, we're not," Gazel growled. He went to sit as far from Burn as he could, an embarrassed pout on his face. Ulvida said nothing, although she grinned to herself when she heard that answer. She knew better, having seen the two sleep in each other's arms.

While Burn rushed to fill his plate with all sorts of food, Desarm kept a firm eye on Hiroto and Midorikawa, who kept exchanging lovey-dovey glances. Those two didn't seem at all ashamed of expressing their feelings in public… so what were they capable of when they were alone together? Hiroto eventually noticed the older teen staring him down and answered with a smile. "Your food'll get cold, Desarm."

"Don't get sweet with me, Kiyama Hiroto," Desarm hissed, planting his palms on the table. "You may act all innocent in front of others, but I know you're—"

"Yes, yes." Ulvida suddenly pinched his nose and lifted his face, forcing him to swallow a piece of meat from her chopsticks. "We know this story, be more original." The rest of the group, including Gazel, started to snicker when Desarm almost fell off his chair, blushing madly. "I-I-I can eat by myself, I'm not a child!" he stammered, wide-eyed.

Ulvida shrugged and winked at him. "Then don't act like one."

Midorikawa blinked a couple times then looked to Hiroto, confused. "He knows you're what?" Everyone at the table promptly facepalmed. Gazel rolled his eyes behind his hand. "How the hell did he stay this innocent in _Aliea_?"

Hiroto laughed and Midorikawa just looked more confused. Desarm reached over and patted the greenette on the head. "It's nothing." he said. The younger boy smiled and reached up to grab the dark haired boy's hand and hold it there.

Hiroto smiled, leaning his face on one hand as he watched the two play. He could understand why Desarm was so protective of the younger boy, since they had been together for so long. The Gemini Storm and Epsilon captains had shared a foster home from the time Midorikawa was 1 to when he was 5 and they came to Sun Garden(he was never sure why they had left the foster home; Hitomiko wouldn't tell him, he didn't want to upset Desarm by asking, and Midorikawa had been too young when they left to remember).

The two captains had even more of a brotherly bond than the rest of the kids at Sun Garden and they had no problem letting everyone know it. Desarm had practically required anyone who wanted near Midorikawa(for good and bad purposes alike) to go through him and his entire team to get to him.

"By the way," Hiroto said, suddenly thinking of something and shifting his eyes to Gazel. "… how come you went to the van without telling anyone? You had us all worried, Gazel."

Gazel gulped and looked from him at the others, who all returned eye contact. He felt his cheeks grow warm and quickly stared at his food, trying to come up with a plausible answer. He could hardly tell his friends the truth without being embarrassed to death. "I-I… uh…"

"That was my fault." All heads promptly turned to Burn, who calmly continued eating as he spoke. "We had a difference in opinion and I went overboard. Gazel just needed some alone time."

"Oh…" Hiroto looked at Gazel again, who nodded in agreement with unusual haste. The redhead lifted an eyebrow, slightly suspicious, but then smiled. "Glad it's been resolved."

"But let's agree that Gazel does the dishes after dinner, okay?" Ulvida jumped in with a grin. She winked at the silver-haired boy, who just glared back. "For giving us a scare. Oh, and…" Ulvida pointed her chopsticks at Burn, who nearly choked on his food when she added: "Burn will help." The redhead slammed his own chopsticks on the table and snapped: "Why me, I did them yesterday!"

"It's your own fault for chasing Gazel off," Ulvida huffed. Burn growled and got up from his seat, planting his hands on the table as well. "Who gave you the right to call yourself the fucking queen, huh?"

"Burn! Don't speak to her like that!" Desarm boomed before Ulvida could say anything. He went to stand as well, instantly towering over the other boy, and glared Burn back down on his chair. The redhead grumbled to himself and continued eating, wise enough not to talk back to Desarm. This was one of those times he missed being able to boss the older teen around.

"Fine." Burn grumbled. Midorikawa giggled behind his hand and Hiroto smirked, wrapping an arm around the greenette's shoulders. Desarm frowned and shot a look at the redhead but Hiroto only smiled back. Gazel blushed and started to play around with the food on his plate, drawing little patterns with his chopsticks.

Ulvida smiled. "Then that's settled. I'm liking this camping thing! I don't have to do the dishes!" she giggled and went back to eating. Burn and Gazel avoided looking at each other for the rest of the meal and Hiroto and Midorikawa stayed cuddled up next to each other(much to Desarm's annoyance).

* * *

><p>"Ow!" Hiroto flinched when Midorikawa dabbed at one of his scrapes with an alcohol soaked cotton ball. After they had finished their meal, Hiroto and Midorikawa(and Desarm if Ulvida hadn't stepped in) had retreated back to their tent to tend to Hiroto's 'wounds'.<p>

"It's your fault for leaving them for so long. You should have taken care of them when we got back." Midorikawa said firmly, dabbing lightly at another cut. Hiroto winced quietly and tried to stay still. "Thanks for doing this though." Midorikawa blushed and looked away. "It's the least I could do. You only got hurt because you covered me...so..." the greenette trailed off, his face flushing even more. Hiroto smiled and took a hold of the hand at his face.

"This is nothing. You'd know I'd never allow you to be hurt." Hiroto grinned cheekily and Midorikawa jumped slightly, his blush reaching his ears. "I...erm...you don't...I mean...thanks..." he finished quietly. The redhead gave the greenette's hand a squeeze and brought it to his lips, kissing it lightly. Midorikawa's entire face went red and he grabbed another alcohol-soaked cotton ball with his free hand.

"Baka!"

"O-OW!"

* * *

><p>Burn growled as he all but threw a dish into the soapy water. Gazel flinched when he was splashed. "Stop that. You'll break them!"<p>

"Shut up!" Burn hissed, sending him a glare. "Whose fault do you think it is that I'm wasting my time doing the goddamn dishes, huh?"

Gazel raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I didn't ask you to stick up for me."

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you solved your own mess!" Burn snapped.

"So I should've just gone ahead and told them how you violated me?" Gazel retorted, gradually raising his usually calm voice. "Never mind the humiliation on my part; your image, or whatever's left of it, would be shattered! You should be thanking _me_!"

"Hmph." Burn lifted his head with dignity before turning back to the dishes. ""Violated." You're saying it like you didn't enjoy it."

"I didn't!" Gazel paused right after the words left his lips. He hadn't even thought about whether he enjoyed it or not; all he cared about, as usual when they argued, was to prove Burn wrong. The ice captain gulped when Burn gave him look just as unfazed as he had a moment ago. "Really? Then what was all the moaning and pleading about?"

"I-I pleaded you stop touching me, not continue!" Gazel stammered. He felt more and more embarrassed recalling this morning's events.

Burn snickered at the plate he was cleaning. "Sure, sure. That's why you went to _so much_ effort to kick me off. If you'd even bothered to move your legs."

Gazel felt a blush dominate his cheeks, causing him to look away with a pout. "… w-well… even if I enjoyed it… and I'm _not_ saying I did… that would be fine, right? I mean, the two of us are… are…"

"Heh…" Burn smiled for a moment, blushing a little himself. He shared Gazel's sentiment in not knowing what to label whatever level they were on now. They were definitely more than friends, but… calling themselves a _couple_ was so embarrassing. The redhead took Gazel's chin in his wet hand and gently pulled him closer, leaning in himself so he could whisper in his ear: "Don't worry… I'll show you tonight just what we are exactly."

Gazel went completely red and splashed the redhead. "P-pervert!" he exclaimed frantically beginning to scrub at the dish in front of him. Burn wiped the suds off his face and smirked before going back to his own dish. _'He's so cute when he's annoyed...'_

* * *

><p>In their own tent, Ulvida was lying on her stomach on her sleeping bag, lazily flipping through a magazine. Desarm had his ear pressed to the side of their tent closest to Midorikawa and Hiroto, trying to listen for any sign that Hiroto might be up to no good. Ulvida rolled her eyes and sighed.<p>

"Will you stop that? They're teenagers, they can do what they want." Desarm snapped to face her. "B-b-but..." Ulvida gave him a look and the dark haired boy quickly shut up. He shifted into a cross-legged position and crossed his arms over his chest in a full-on pout. Ulvida rolled her eyes again.

"He's got to grow up sometime, Dezzy. What are you gonna do? Follow him to college?"

"..."

"Desarm..."

"Only freshman year!" Ulvida let out an exasperated sigh. "Not everyone is out to hurt your poor little Ryuuji, Desarm. He's quite capable of handling himself. Reize kicked ass pretty hard." Desarm frowned at the mention of the greenette's alternate persona. He had been quite upset at the change that had taken place in his unofficial younger brother during the Aliea Academy days. He changed so radically from his chirpy self to a cold hard ass. It had taken Desarm quite some time to adjust to the new personality.

"… even so… Reize was just a temporary personality," Desarm muttered. He brought his hands to his lap, slowly clenching them as he spoke. "I've been by Ryuuji's side for so long… If something were to happen to him, I would… I would…" The dark-haired teen silenced himself when a sudden hand caressed one of his, and he looked up into Ulvida's compassionate eyes. "I'm sure he knows how much you care for him," she smiled. "And I doubt he'll ever stop being grateful. That's why, if you want him to be happy… you have to give him his freedom at the right time."

Desarm started to blush, feeling Ulvida's touch, listening to her words, simply looking into those shimmering eyes. He quickly lowered his head again, gazing at her hand on top of his. "… you're right…"

Ulvida grinned happily. "Of course I am. Now, would you be so kind as to step outside? I'd like to change."

Desarm instantly flushed twofold and shot up. "O-of course. Take your time…" He pouted when Ulvida giggled behind him as he left the tent. Once outside, Desarm inhaled the fresh evening breeze, thinking over Ulvida's advice. As usual, the girl had managed to make his heart race just by being her wise, admirable self. Desarm frowned slightly, inwardly scolding himself for having these shameful feelings. They tended to invade the foreground, but the ex-captain of Epsilon always tried to force them back. He was not only a brother to Midorikawa, but he felt it was his duty to watch over Burn, Gazel, and – as much as he hated to – Hiroto as well. Serving as an example to them, Desarm refused to let his petty feelings for Ulvida get in the way. He didn't want them to influence his behavior, especially when he feared the girl would either laugh them off or be too awestruck to speak if she knew of them. Either way, she'd lose respect for him, he was sure of that…

Desarm perked out of his thoughts when he heard whispering nearby: "I-idiot, at least wait until we're in our tent!"

"Don't be such a prude, it's just one kiss."

Desarm peeked at the source of the voices and was surprised to see Burn and Gazel sharing a gentle kiss. From the look of it, they had just finished the dishes and were about to head for their own tent, but not very surprisingly, Burn had grown impatient. Desarm smiled to himself when the couple parted and sent each other a tender glance. He had assumed their friendship would evolve into something more sooner or later; it was just a matter of time.

"You couldn't wait? For 10 seconds?" Gazel mumbled, flushing heavily. Burn grinned and wrapped his arms tightly around Gazel's smaller body and nuzzled his nose against the white haired boys'. "I can't help myself. You're too adorable." Gazel flushed harder and bowed his head. "Do you have to be so embarrassing?" he whispered. Burn chuckled and squeezed him tightly. "Yep."

Burn spun Gazel around and pushed him inside the tent. Gazel let out a yip and tumbled down onto their sleeping bags. Burn was on top of him instantly. "Hi." Burn said, grinning cheekily. Gazel sucked in a breath and shuffled up slightly, trying to slide out from under the redhead.

"Should we really be doing this? I mean...the others are really close...they could...you know..."

Burn softened his expression and brought a hand to Gazel's cheek. "Gazel… Do you want this?" he whispered, looking straight into the other boy's eyes. Gazel blushed even more and nervously avoided eye contact. "W-well, I… yes… but… yes…" Burn grinned again when his voice grew nearly inaudible. Gazel's shy side was so cute. The fire captain leaned his head on his shoulder and continued whispering in his ear: "Then don't worry so much… Let's just see where we end up."

Gazel was overcome by chills when Burn breathed those words into his ear, but he saw no reason – aside from having limited privacy – to object. He wanted this… Gazel wanted Burn to continue what he'd started this morning. He wanted to experience that excitement again, and so much more knowing the redhead took his feelings seriously this time. The silver-haired boy relaxed on his pillow and flashed a small smile. "Okay…" Burn lifted himself, returned the smile, and leaned in for another kiss. "We should probably keep the lights off, though."

"Agreed," Gazel grinned. He threw his arms around Burn's back as the two of them locked lips, not at all feeling the need to protest when the other boy slid his hand under his shirt this time.

* * *

><p>"I'm done, Desarm. You can come back in."<p>

Desarm perked up when he heard Ulvida's voice and nodded: "Okay." He was about to re-enter the tent when his eyes flicked to Hiroto and Midorikawa's, where he could see their silhouettes due to a lit lamp. Desarm thought his heart stopped when he realized Midorikawa was lying on his back, with Hiroto hovering right above him. The dark-haired teen didn't hesitate for a second and raced to the tent, barging in without warning. "HIROTO! Get your hands off Ryuuji right—" He stopped when he saw what was actually going on.

Hiroto and Midorikawa, each lying in their own sleeping bags, flinched when the older boy's voice roared through their tent. They both stared at Desarm, who started to blush as he realized the boys' silhouettes had deceived his eyes. Rather than lying on top of Midorikawa, as his profile had insinuated, Hiroto was merely pushing himself up to get something out of his bag. Midorikawa, lying on his back with a book in his hands, stammered: "W-what's the matter, Desarm?"

Desarm blushed and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I...um...never mind, it's nothing." he stammered quickly then retreated back to his own tent. Midorikawa blinked. "What was that all about?" Hiroto snickered behind his hand. "He thought we were being inappropriate." his statement received a confused look from the greenette, but he waved him off. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Hiroto paused for a second then reached over and took Midorikawa's book. "Hey!" Midorikawa rolled over, trying to snatch the book back but Hiroto pulled it out of reach, snickering to himself and rolling onto his back. Midorikawa huffed then dove for the book, landing across Hiroto as he tried to reach for it. Hiroto's arm instantly enveloped his waist and the greenette blushed heavily, realizing their position. He tried to get up but Hiroto's arm held him still.

"H-Hiroto?" he cast a look towards the redhead and Hiroto winked. "Hi." Midorikawa blushed again, squirming slightly. Hiroto smirked and pulled the other completely on top of him then leaned up to nuzzle their noses together. "What's up, beautiful?"

Midorikawa felt his entire face burn at that comment – even more so when Hiroto threw his other arm around his waist as well, holding him close. The greenette shyly avoided eye contact, his eyes shifting to and fro. "I-i-isn't this inappropriate…?"

Hiroto chuckled softly and planted a kiss on his nose. "Does it bother you?"

Midorikawa hesitated for a moment, feeling pretty embarrassed about their current position, but ultimately shook his head. "N-no…" How could resting in the arms of his lover possibly bother him? Before today, he had only dreamt of moments like this, even if he'd convinced himself it was nothing but wishful thinking on his part.

Hiroto smiled brightly and moved one hand to turn off the light. "Then let's continue." As soon as the lamp clicked off, he leaned up to let their lips meet.


	7. The hike

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay on this chapter. I'm currently not very content fic-wise due to a lack of motivation, which somehow leads me to lose confidence in my stories altogether. =_= I don't know, I guess I'm too much of a perfectionist and I don't always handle mistakes very well. Also, I'm extremely grateful for your wonderful support, but please don't forget that this is a _collab_. Garfakcy-chan provided half of the awesomeness so give her credit too, okay? ;3; And in response to feathered moon wings: don't worry, that's as close to lemon as it's gonna get. XD Besides, if you guys thought two couples went that far, I had you fooled. ;3 Anyway, we hope you enjoy this chapter. -heart-**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Desarm and Ulvida were the first to wake up. After letting each other change in private, the couple started to prepare breakfast: Desarm took care of the food, while Ulvida set the table. "Those boys are sure taking their time sleeping in," Ulvida remarked with a smile. Desarm simply nodded, trying not to worry about what happened between Hiroto and Midorikawa last night. He may have been wrong that one time, but that didn't mean Hiroto was off the hook. Not at <em>all<em>. The dark-haired teen turned around when he heard chatter and he saw said boys exit their tent.

Midorikawa stretched before approaching the older teens, waving with a smile. "Morning, Desarm, Ulvida." He stopped when someone tapped him on the shoulder and saw Hiroto hold up his hair tie. The greenette had undone his hair last night, leaving it in long, smooth waves. "Don't forget this."

"Thanks," Midorikawa chirped. He was about to take the accessory when Hiroto added: "Let me." He flashed one of his dashing smiles and started combing his boyfriend's hair, much to Desarm's annoyance. He averted his head with a growl, making Ulvida giggle. "At least they slept well." She cast a look on the last tent, her smile fading for a serious expression. "I hope Burn's letting Gazel sleep in peace this time…"

Unbeknownst to Ulvida, the redhead did exactly that. Both he and Gazel had yet to rise and shine. The two of them were once again joined in the ice captain's sleeping bag, this time with their clothes scattered all over the place. Burn was lying on his back with one arm around Gazel's shoulder, while the other boy rested his head on his lover's chest, keeping him a tight embrace like the other night. Covered up to their bare torso, the boys were sound asleep after last night's activities.

Gazel shifted slightly next to Burn, stirring the redhead. Burn cracked an eye open then fully opened them, tilting his head to watch the younger boy. Gazel was sleeping soundly, nuzzling the Prominence captain every now and then. The redhead tightened his grip on the white haired boy and leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. Gazel stirred and crystal blue eyes fluttered open. He blinked a couple times before locking eyes with Burn.

"Hi." the redhead whispered, running a hand through Gazel's white hair and down the side of his face. "Hi." Gazel whispered back, leaning in to the gentle touch. Burn smiled and released his lover, shifting up onto his elbows. "We should get going. I think everyone's awake already." Gazel blushed a little and nodded. Burn slid out of the sleeping bag and started to gather his clothes up.

Gazel lay on his side and lay his head on his arm, watching his lover sleepily. Burn finished pulling his jeans up then cast a look over his shoulder. "You gonna get up?" He asked. "In a minute. I'm still sleepy." Burn smiled softly and crawled back over to the white haired boy and lay on his stomach. He reached a hand forward and ran it through the soft locks. "You're beautiful."

Gazel's eyes went wide in wonder before he shifted them to the side, smiling shyly as a blush coloured his cheeks. "I-idiot, what are you saying…" Burn snickered lovingly and leaned closer, brushing their foreheads together. "Did you enjoy it…?" he whispered in a seductive tone, causing Gazel's blush to intensify at the spot. The silver-haired boy managed little more than a nod, but his warm gaze spoke for him. His mind instantly shifted back to last night: how Burn had caressed his body with as much tenderness as he desired, how their hands had entwined on the sleeping mat, how the other boy had whispered soothing words when it hurt, only to turn that pain into pleasure. The most embarrassing moment of all were actually all the times Gazel needed to cover his own mouth to prevent the others from hearing his cries of ecstasy. And boy, had he felt ecstatic… Burn had made him feel better than ever before.

Gazel regained eye contact and took Burn's chin in his hand, bringing their lips together. Burn immediately returned the kiss and helped Gazel deepen it, parting his lips when the other boy's tongue greedily requested entrance. The couple shut their eyes and enjoyed the lip-lock until Ulvida started shaking the tent, almost causing them to hit the ceiling and break it down. "Burn! Gazel! Breakfast is ready!"

"W-we'll be right there!" Gazel hastily emerged from the comfort of his sleeping bag and started gathering his clothes, earning another snicker from Burn. When he asked a confused "What?", the redhead flicked his eyes from head to toe, scanning his naked body. "You're sexy." Gazel blushed and hurled his shirt at his head. "Pervert."

Hiroto looked up from setting the picnic table and raised his eyebrow when the sound of a scuffle drifted from Burn and Gazel's tent. He chuckled a little and shook his head before going back to setting the table, unaware of the black eyes watching him from across the clearing. Midorikawa quickly turned around and continued to rummage through the van's trunk when Hiroto turned to call to Ulvida, fighting back a blush.

Last night, Hiroto had seemed like he was starting something but in the end they'd only cuddled and slept in the same sleeping bag. _'Does he think I'm ugly?' _the greenette thought. He twisted the end of his shirt around in his hands and bit his lip. Is that why Hiroto hadn't done anything? He didn't think he was attractive? He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. He was so plain compared to Hiroto. The captain of Gaia was striking, with his fiery red hair, bright green eyes, and pale skin.

Midorikawa reached a hand up to grip his hair. He caught his reflection in the rear-view mirror and frowned. There was nothing about him that stood out, except maybe his clashing hair and skin tone. And more than once he'd been called 'scary' because of his sharp black eyes. As Reize, this had been a good thing, but now it was a problem. And sure, Hiroto had called him beautiful, but what if he didn't mean it? People said a lot of things they didn't mean...

_"We'll be right back, honey! Don't open the door for any strangers, okay?"**  
><strong>_  
>… including his parents, who hadn't kept their promise last time he spoke to them.<p>

"Midori-chan! Did you find the napkins?" Ulvida called. She and Desarm had already begun to dish food to the other boys(Burn and Gazel had finally decided to join them). "H-Hai!" the greenette quickly grabbed the package of napkins and raced back towards the waiting group.

* * *

><p>"I have an idea for today," Ulvida started once they'd all dug in. "How about we go hiking?"<p>

Desarm was the first to answer, unsurely. "Are you sure that's a good idea…? It's dangerous around here. Look what happened to Hiroto."

The redhead chuckled and lightly scratched his cheek. "Aha, well, that's just because I didn't look where I was going." Midorikawa, seated beside him, nearly choked on his food. That wasn't true. Hiroto had been injured because of him. It was because he'd been stupid enough to let a rabbit scare him and drive him off a hill that Hiroto had had to endanger himself. The greenette instantly stopped eating, lowering his head in guilt. Not only was he unattractive, he was a clumsy coward as well… Why did Hiroto like him again?

"I'm sure we'll be fine if we all go," Ulvida smiled. She looked Desarm in the eye, flashing a captivating grin. "Are you scared, Dezzy?" The other teen blushed, stared at his plate and stuttered: "O-of course not! I'm just thinking about everyone's safety."

"And that's sweet of you." Ulvida said reaching over to pat Desarm on the head, increasing his blush tenfold. "But we need to get out there and do something! Hanging around a campsite all day is not camping! So who's up for it?" After a brief pause, mumbled agreements were heard around the table. Ulvida clapped her hands together. "Okay then! Let's finish up and get going."

* * *

><p>After finishing their meal, the group packed their back packs and set off into the woods. Ulvida happily took the lead with Desarm right behind her, followed by Burn, Gazel, Hiroto, and Midorikawa. Desarm had wanted to stay in the back but had changed his mind when Ulvida threatened to put him on a leash.<p>

"You're such a baby! I could walk like this for hours!" Burn boasted. Gazel growled. "I'm not saying I can't do this. I'm just saying that it's really hot out here! I don't see why we couldn't have stayed at the lake."

About 10 minutes into their hike Gazel had begun complaining about the heat, sparking yet another argument between the two Chaos captains. Midorikawa gulped when the duo started yelling at each other and leaned over, whispering to Hiroto behind his hand. "Are you sure they're together…?" Hiroto snickered and responded with a wink. "Of course. That's how they express their love."

Burn and Gazel picked up on the comment and glared at the redhead. "What was that?" they snapped in unison.

Hiroto simply chuckled again, not at all taken aback by their exclamation. "Am I wrong?"

"Of course you are! Like I could ever love that idiot!" Burn spat out, sharply pointing at his co-captain. Clearly offended, Gazel planted his hands on his hips and retorted: "Oh yeah? You think you can get someone to love you with that ridiculous hair of yours, tulip-head?"

Burn fumed with anger and approached the other boy, lifting his fists. "Care to say that to my face, asshole?"

"I just said it to your face, you moron," Gazel pointed out. He stayed where he was, not the least bit scared of the fire captain. Both boys groaned in pain when Ulvida hit them over the head, a disapproving look on her face. "Knock it off, you two. You can just go back to the campsite if all you're gonna do is argue."

Gazel considered that a rather good idea, but he refrained from speaking when Burn grumbled "Fine" and turned away. He was about to follow him, but stopped when Burn's hand brushed across his, too subtly for the others to notice. Gazel looked at Burn's face and saw a sudden, but gentle smile, golden eyes aimed at him. Gazel felt his cheeks go red and couldn't help but return the smile.

Hiroto smiled a little to himself, quietly watching the exchange. He cast a quick look behind him but his smile dropped when he noticed Midorikawa's sad look. He stopped and turned to face him, making the greenette nearly walk into him. Confused black eyes looked up at him. "Are you okay, Ryuuji? You look like something's bothering you."

Midorikawa blinked a couple times before forcing a bright smile. "What are you talking about? Silly Hiroto! I'm fine!" he laughed and quickly jogged past the redhead when he tried to grip his shoulder. Hiroto watched him jog ahead a bit before following the group.

Gazel raised an eyebrow when Midorikawa suddenly darted past them to walk behind Desarm. Was something going on with him and Hiroto? He'd seen them cuddling the day before and had assumed they were together but now the greenette seemed to be upset about something. He gave Hiroto a quick glance over his shoulder and found the green eyes locked on the Gemini Storm captain. _'Something must be going on between them. I hope they're okay.'_

Hiroto was hoping the exact same thing, but he'd known the greenette longer than today. There was no doubt in his mind that his awkward behavior from just now was supposed to cover up his sadness. But why was he sad? Had Hiroto done something wrong? The captain of Gaia lowered his head in thought, recalling last night. He had lured Midorikawa on top of him, only to keep him in his sleeping bag and cuddle for a while… Hiroto was convinced that Midorikawa had fully enjoyed it despite his nervousness, so what could've gone wrong at that point? Had he gone too far after all? Why hadn't Midorikawa said something?

Hiroto perked up, along with the others, when Ulvida gasped audibly and pointed ahead of them. "Look! A tiny waterfall!" All boys tilted their body to a side so they could see the sight the girl was blocking. Ulvida was right: a small waterfall was rushing its way into a creek. Before any of the boys could say anything, one of them suddenly zoomed by and muttered a hasty: "Excuse me." Gazel dropped on his knees, tossed his bag to the side, and threw his head into the cool water, almost wanting to cry out in joy at the refreshment. He instantly felt like the energy he'd wasted hiking in this goddamn heat returned all at once, fully powering him up.

His friends snickered behind him, but stopped when Burn walked over to the stream as well. When he stopped behind the other boy and lifted his foot, Desarm tried to call out and stop him, but it was too late. Burn grinned evilly as he pushed his foot against Gazel's butt and flipped him into the water. Desarm came running, about to scold him, but then Gazel resurfaced, lying on his back with arms and legs spread. He didn't look the least bit angry; in fact, he sent Burn a cheerful grin. "Thanks, just what I needed."

Desarm and Ulvida exchanged confused looks before smiling. Hiroto laughed, turning to Midorikawa, only to find the greenette staring off into space with a saddened expression. Hiroto's smile dropped and he reached over to touch the younger boy's shoulder. Midorikawa jumped sharply and spun to face him. "Ryuuji? Are you sure everything is okay?" the other boy seemed lost for words for a minute before shaking off Hiroto and smiling. "I'm okay! Really!" Hiroto watched him for a second then grabbed his shoulders again and pulled him into a kiss. He frowned when he pulled back, seeing the sad expression on his lover's face. "Ryuuji..." he stopped and turned back to the group when he heard Burn scoff.

Burn rolled his eyes. "Can we keep walking now?" he asked, growing bored with standing around. Ulvida shrugged. "Sure. Get Gazel out of the water first." Burn huffed and walked over to the white haired boy, reaching out to grab his arm. Gazel smirked at the last second and seized Burn's wrist, yanking him in. The redhead yelped when he hit the water and quickly came up, cursing and sputtering.

"Gazel!" Burn screamed at the other Chaos captain, only to receive a faceful of water. Gazel laughed and splashed him again. Hiroto smiled, watching the two engage in a brief water fight before Ulvida and Desarm yanked them from the stream. Ulvida shook her head. "Why don't you two head back and change? You can catch up with us later."

Gazel pouted. "Can't we just stay at camp instead?" Burn snorted and reached out, promptly pushing him back into the water. "Don't be such a wuss, Gazel! Can't even handle a little heat?" Gazel quickly crawled back out and shot him a glare. "B-Burn, you idiot!"

"Yes yes, we know," Ulvida interrupted before they started fighting again. "We can contact each other by cell phone in case you can't find us. We'll see you in a bit, okay?"

The Chaos captains nodded and headed back to the campsite after Gazel picked up his bag. As if rehearsed, they checked if they were out of sight at the exact same time, only to exchange a smile when they saw they were. Burn and Gazel joined hands and didn't let go until they arrived at the tents. Rather than entering theirs and changing into a new outfit, though, Gazel longingly gazed at the inviting lake instead. The sun had done an excellent job and drying the boys up, once again leaving the ice captain in desperate need of some refreshment.

Burn blinked in confusion when Gazel sped to the lake and disposed of his clothes, save for his underwear. The silver-haired boy then dove into the water and didn't come back up until he reached the center, shaking the drops out of his hair. When he waved at the other Chaos captain, Burn grinned and followed his example.

"Couldn't wait ten seconds, huh?" he asked once he'd caught up with the other boy. "Shut up, tulip-head," Gazel retorted simply, but Burn couldn't get mad when he saw the glimmer in those usually ice-cold eyes. The redhead grinned again and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. "Since we're alone anyway… how about we take advantage of the time we have?" he whispered, slowly moving closer. "No one said we have to go back right away." Gazel returned the grin and placed his own hands on Burn's waist. "Good idea," he whispered before leaning in and letting their lips meet in a heated kiss.

Burn delved a hand up into Gazel's hair, keeping him locked in the kiss while letting his other hand drag down Gazel's chest. He brushed against one of his nipples, earning a small gasp from his lover. Burn smirked into the kiss and gripped the sensitive nub between his thumb and index finger, rolling it around and pinching slightly. Gazel broke the kiss and pressed his face to Burn's shoulder, moving his arms around Burn's neck to support himself better.

Burn let his other hand slide down his back to squeeze his butt hard, making the white haired boy jump. Gazel groaned and blushed furiously when Burn began to rub a knee between his legs. Burn grinned and swerved to press him into a nearby rock, grabbing his wrists and pinning them next to his head. He bit down hard on his shoulder, drawing a gasp from the white haired boy. The redhead licked his lips. Gazel looked delicious blushing the way he was. "Mine." Burn growled into Gazel's ear, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"B-Burn…" Gazel breathed, pausing when the other boy began to lick his neck in a sensual fashion. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling himself grow more and more fragile in Burn's hands. "S-should we really be doing this…?"

Burn looked at him for a moment, a big smirk on his face. "Why not? Now is perfect." He leaned in to whisper into Gazel's ear once more: "We're all alone… You can make as much noise as you like." Gazel flushed madly at the sound of that and stammered: "T-that's not what I—ah…!" He automatically tried to withhold a moan when Burn's knee gave him an extra nudge between the legs. Burn, clearly not planning on stopping, continued teasing his neck with his tongue, occasionally nibbling on his skin. Gazel soon failed to remain quiet and exhaled sound after sound, at first reluctantly but gradually willingly as Burn continued to please him.

When the redhead released his wrist to slide his hand into his boxers, Gazel held it back for a moment, managing a stern expression. "F-fine… but no more biting, okay?" Burn simply snickered and licked the other boy's lips for a moment. "Whatever you wish," he whispered.

* * *

><p>"Woah…!" Ulvida gasped as her feet lost grip and she fell backwards, having been caught off-guard by the steep terrain. Desarm, still walking behind her, impulsively extended his hands to catch the girl before she hit the ground. Ulvida groaned when she landed in his arms and looked up, meeting the other teen's face upside down. She giggled while fighting back a blush and chimed: "Thanks, Dezzy."<p>

Desarm, on the other hand, blushed heavily and quickly stood her upright, avoiding eye contact. "Y-you're welcome." Ulvida smiled and straightened her clothes a bit before continuing on, Desarm following after.

A way back, Hiroto and Midorikawa were trailing behind. Midorikawa was watching his feet as he walked and Hiroto was watching him from over his shoulder. He'd been racking his brain for something he might have done to upset the younger boy but he couldn't pin point the cause. It could have been because he pulled him into his sleeping bag last night and it made him uncomfortable, or maybe it was because Desarm didn't like them together, or maybe...

Hiroto yelped when his foot caught a root and sent him to the ground(kids, this is why you always watch where you're going). Midorikawa was at his side in an instant, asking over and over again if he was okay. Hiroto gingerly sat up, rubbing his sore face. When he finally registered the greenette's presence, he assured him he was fine and brushed a couple twigs from his hair.

"You're sure you're fine?" Midorikawa asked again. Hiroto just gave him a beaming grin. "Fit as a fiddle! I'm sorry I worried you." the green haired boy smiled shyly. "It's okay." Suddenly remembering they weren't alone, Midorikawa turned to yell for Desarm and Ulvida to wait up...only to find they were indeed alone. "Desarm? Ulvida?" the Gemini Storm captain whispered quietly, drawing Hiroto's attention to their absence. "They must've not noticed and kept going. They're probably up ahead somewhere."

"Then let's catch up with them, quickly!" Midorikawa began to walk, but Hiroto caught his wrist before he could go anywhere. "… wait… we need a moment to ourselves." He got up on his feet and released Midorikawa, but only because that sad expression from before had returned and made him feel bad for holding him back. "… Ryuuji… I can tell something's wrong. You've been wearing a frown since we started hiking." A thought suddenly occurred to the redhead. "… is it because you don't like hiking? Do you want to go back?"

"H-huh?" Midorikawa stared at him in bafflement before vividly waving his arms. "N-n-no! I'm fine, Hiroto, really! I like hiking, as long as we don't get lost…" Hiroto furrowed his eyebrows. "Then… what is it? Because you're obviously _not _fine." He carefully approached the greenette, a worried look on his face. "… is it because of me, Ryuuji? Did I do something wrong? Did… did I go too far last night, is that it?"

Midorikawa jumped. "N-no, it's not that. It's...I...it's not that I...but..." the greenette bit his lip hard, trying to think of a way to word it. It's wasn't that Hiroto had gone too far, it was more that he didn't go far enough even though Midorikawa wasn't sure if he wanted to do that yet. He blushed a little at his 'dirty' thoughts and Hiroto leaned to the side a little to get a better look at his boyfriend.

"What's wrong? Please, if I've done something to upset you, please tell me." Midorikawa began to fiddle with the end of his shirt nervously, casting his gaze onto the ground. "Am I ugly?"

Hiroto's jaw dropped. What in hell's name could have brought that into his mind? "Absolutely not! You're beautiful! Why would you think otherwise?" Midorikawa jumped when Hiroto grabbed his shoulders and squeezed tightly. He looked up at the redhead, tears brimming in his wide black eyes. "It's just...last night...You didn't...it seemed like you didn't want to touch me." Hiroto blinked. Why would the greenette think he didn't want to touch him? He wanted to hold on to the boy and never let go if he could. He simply wanted to respect the other boy's space. To show him that he wanted him for more than that.

"I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I thought you'd get scared if I got too touchy-feely. I never meant for it to come across that way. I'm so sorry." He wrapped his arms tightly around the younger boy and buried his face in his hair. Midorikawa hesitated for a second before hugging him back, pressing his face into his chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Hiroto pulled back, kissing the greenette's forehead tenderly.

"We should go catch up to Desarm and Ulvida, ne?" Midorikawa nodded and they began walking, Hiroto keeping one arm tightly around his love's waist. Not long after, they came to a fork in the path. "Crap, which way did they go?" Hiroto asked. Midorikawa looked around for a second before pointing to the ground. "These are their foot prints. They went that way." Hiroto nodded and started to walk, but Midorikawa wrapped his arms around one of Hiroto's and held him back. "I think we should leave them alone. Desarm likes Ulvida nee-san...a lot." Hiroto blinked and smirked.

"Sounds like a plan." He pulled the greenette to him again and pulled him down the other path. After a bit, Hiroto nudged his lover gently, earning a confused look. Hiroto looked away, blushing slightly. "Um, I was kinda wondering...did you want me to go farther...last night?" After letting the question click in his mind, Midorikawa blushed hard, and quickly looked down.

"I...I don't know...maybe? I'm not really sure. I mean, I got disappointed but I'm not sure if I would have wanted to..." Hiroto smiled slightly and leaned down to gently kiss his lover's forehead. "Don't worry. When you're ready, just tell me. I don't mind waiting for you. I love you." Midorikawa blushed instantly and tightened his grip on the redhead.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>"Where are they? Where <em>are<em> they? They couldn't have gone that far!"

Desarm raced through the forest, running back to where he and Ulvida had come from. The moment he'd realized Hiroto and Midorikawa were missing, he'd started panicking about the greenette's safety, both due to the rough terrain and the fact that his companion was Hiroto. Desarm was fully convinced the redhead would take advantage of their alone time – something he needed to prevent at all costs. Desarm zoomed past the fork in the path, too preoccupied to consider the possibility of the couple having gone the opposite direction. Ulvida struggled to catch up, her wrist caught in the boy's iron clasp since he'd turned back.

"Desarm! Calm down! Slow down a little, I'm sure they're—Desarm!" But her protests were useless. Desarm seemed totally oblivious to her words, his mind focused on just one thing. He continued pulling her along as he shouted Hiroto and Midorikawa's names, but to no avail. Ulvida was about to make another attempt to talk some sense into him when the same root that had tripped Hiroto caught her foot as well, instantly sending her to the ground. Desarm instantly halted when he lost grip of her wrist and turned around, watching in dread as she rolled down the terrain and collided with a tree.

"Ulvida! Reina!" The Epsilon captain rushed over, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around her waist to help her up. His eyes, already filled with utter panic, swapped to a look of pure remorse and worry. "A-are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

Ulvida glanced up at him, a pained look on her face. "M-my… foot hurts…"

Desarm glanced at her right foot, which indeed coloured an unusual shade of red under her sandal. He shifted and touched it lightly, but the mere action was enough to make the other teen cry out in pain. Desarm widened his eyes and instantly retracted his hand. "I-I'm sorry! Can you walk? … no, of course you can't… Damn, Reina, I'm so sorry, I was an idiot and—"

"Yes, you were," Ulvida grumbled, unhesitant to shoot him a look. Desarm, feeling guilty as it was, became even more self-conscious and lowered his head. "… I'm so sorry… I didn't want this to happen. Please, let me…" He removed the bag from his back and took out a first-aid kit. The dark-haired teen apologized once more before he took off Ulvida's shoe as carefully as he could, frowning when he heard her wince. "Hold still…" he muttered, completely focused on bandaging her sprained ankle. Ulvida did as he said, biting her lip in pain, but even said pain wasn't enough to prevent her cheeks from reddening. Desarm was doing his best to handle her injury with care, like a real gentleman… After finishing up and throwing his bag back around his shoulders, Desarm expanded on that impression by sliding his hands under her back and thighs, lifting her with ease. He held her in his arms like a bride and asked, a sincerely caring look on his face: "Ready to continue?"

Ulvida blushed instantly and gripped onto Desarm's shirt. "Um...s-sure...let's go." The black haired teen nodded once and continued on.

* * *

><p>Back at the lake, Burn and Gazel were lying on the beach. They were both lying on their sides with Gazel's back to Burn's chest, one of Burn's arms hooked snuggly around the white haired boy's waist. Burn had dozed off not too long ago and Gazel was simply enjoying their alone time. He was quickly discovering that he was enjoying this softer side of the other Chaos captain.<p>

Gazel eventually shifted on his other side so he could see Burn's sleeping face, and he immediately liked what he saw. In heavy contrast to his waking self, Burn looked peaceful, serene… and remarkably cute. Gazel smiled and placed a hand on the redhead's soft cheek. He stopped to think for a moment how lucky he actually was, having his feelings returned by the one who, in the end, knew him better than anyone else. Burn was the only one capable of melting the ice-cold captain, and strangely, Gazel didn't mind at all. As long as he and Burn could spend time together, he didn't feel the need to build a wall and maintain his pride.

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><p>"Phew… Can we stop for a moment?" Midorikawa panted, pausing to catch his breath. Hiroto smiled at him and answered: "Of course. We shouldn't stray too far from the others, after all." He and Midorikawa went to sit under the nearest tree, sharing a comfortable silence for a moment. After Hiroto broke it by offering his boyfriend a drink (which the greenette accepted), Midorikawa murmured: "How do you think they're doing…?"<p>

Hiroto tilted his head curiously. "Hm? You mean Desarm and Ulvida?" Midorikawa nodded. "I hope they're doing fine… especially Desarm. He can get so shy just talking about Ulvida nee-san," he giggled. Hiroto grinned and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, automatically bringing a blush to the other boy's face. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Ulvida never told me what she thinks of him exactly, but… I know she likes him a lot, to say the least."

Midorikawa smiled brightly. "I hope so. He really likes her. Epsilon would always make fun of him whenever he had to talk to her. It was really funny cause he always got really flustered." the greenette giggled at the memory and Hiroto smiled. It made him happy to see Midorikawa smiling and cheery again. He liked the greenette so much better when he smiled.

Midorikawa jumped a little when Hiroto slid behind him, between him and the tree, and wrapped his arms around his waist. Midorikawa settled himself between Hiroto's legs and the redhead took Midorikawa'a chin in one hand and tilted his head back to look at him. The greenette blushed. "Hi." he said quietly. Hiroto smirked and leaned over to kiss him gently.

When they parted, Midorikawa relaxed against the redhead's chest, sighing contentedly. "This is nice." he whispered. Hiroto rested his chin on top of the other boy's head a smiled softly. "Yeah. It's so quiet and peaceful out here." The greenette nodded in agreement before shutting his eyes.

Hiroto reached up a hand and started running it through the soft green hair as the Gemini Storm captain dozed off. Hiroto shut his eyes as well and leaned back against the tree. If only they could just stay like this forever...

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><p>Desarm sighed as he placed Ulvida down on a rock before dropping down onto the ground. The two had doubled back almost all the way to the campsite and then back to their original location, but there had been no sign of the two captains.<p>

Ulvida frowned at the troubled expression on her companion's face. Whenever Desarm obsessed over Hiroto and Midorikawa, he seemed incapable of thinking of anything else. She appreciated – as well as admired – his determinacy to protect the greenette, but his obsession was really starting to become nothing short of an annoyance. On top of that, if it weren't for Desarm's overbearing nature, he'd be paying attention to her and only her right now… Not that that mattered much, of course.

"Hey, can I have some water?" the Genesis midfielder asked, snapping Desarm out of his thoughts. He nodded quickly and swayed his bag off his shoulders, accidentally hitting Ulvida – and knocking her off the rock, seeing as the impact was sudden and his bag filled with quite a few things. The Epsilon captain widened his eyes when the girl landed on her back, luckily smart enough to keep her injured foot above the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ulvida placed her hands on the ground to push herself up, only to find Desarm kneeling in front of her and pressing his forehead into the leaves. "I made a mistake, forgive me!" The blue-and-white-haired girl blinked in surprise when she heard the panicked tone in his voice – it was an exact match with the way he spoke whenever he messed up in front of his superiors in Aliea Academy. However, he never seemed worried about Burn, Gazel or Hiroto's opinions anymore – if anything, it was the other way around, especially when the older teen got mad. So why did he resort to approaching her – and seemingly only her – as though they were still divided in different ranks?

"Get up, will you? This isn't Aliea Academy anymore. You don't have to act this way." Desarm jerked up slightly before he quickly averted his eyes from her. "I-I know that. I-I just..." he trailed off and quickly got to his feet, brushing the leaves and dirt off his clothes. Ulvida shifted into a crossed-legged position and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Just what? You have no reason to act like that. Just apologizing is enough." Desarm sucked in a breath and quickly distracted himself with getting the water bottle. He wished he could be calmer around the girl, but every time he tried to assert himself to her, something went wrong or he sounded like an idiot. _'Maybe I should ask Ryuuji for help when we find them.'_ he thought.

_'Osamu always acts so awkward when we're alone. I wonder if I make him nervous. Did I ever threaten him in Aliea Academy? I don't think I did, we never saw each other anyways.'_ Ulvida leant her shoulder against a rock and looked up towards the sky. She closed her eyes and smiled. The warm sun felt so nice...

"Here." Ulvida snapped out of her thoughts and regarded the water bottle being held in front of her face. Desarm simply held it there without looking away from the ground.

"Thanks…" Ulvida took the water and drank her thirst away. She then looked at her companion again, who was still admiring his feet. "… Desarm… is something wrong? You're acting odd…"

"H-huh?" Desarm snapped up and stared at her, only to wave his hands in denial. "W-what are you talking about? I'm fine, I'm just worried about Ryuu—"

"Don't use him as an excuse for everything," Ulvida scolded. "You act like this even when Midori-chan is fine. You only seem to get nervous in front of me… Did I do anything to make you uncomfortable or something?"

Desarm thought his heart skipped a beat. Crap, he should really work better on his poker face – especially in front of the girl he loved. He instantly gazed to the side again, blushing lightly. Why couldn't these stupid feelings stay below the surface? Better yet, why didn't they just go away? He couldn't possibly confess to her without making a huge fool of himself. "… n-no… you must be imagining things."

"I might've if you resorted to bowing to everyone you made a mistake with," Ulvida answered, giving him an impatient look. "Come on, Desarm, what do you take me for?"

Only the most beautiful girl in the world. Desarm gritted his teeth and shut his eyes for a moment. He felt trapped all of a sudden; the determined look on Ulvida's face made it more than clear she wasn't going to drop the subject before he gave her a valid answer. The fact was… there was none. Confessing his feelings wouldn't do any good, they would just tear into their friendship.

"… you're finished drinking, right? Let's move on then." He took the bottle, put it back in his bag and lifted Ulvida in his arms again. She could barely protest before he started to march in a random direction, desperate to change the subject.

"Desarm! Put me down right now! I'm not done with you!" Ulvida kicked her legs a couple times, nearly making Desarm drop her. "U-Ulvida-sama! Please don't do that!" he hesitantly placed her down onto another rock. She crossed her arms huffily over her chest and gave him a hard glare. "We are not going any further until you tell me why you treat me different from everyone else." she said firmly.

* * *

><p>Midorikawa yawned quietly, blinking a couple times before sitting up. It took him a second to remember where he was before he sighed and leant back against Hiroto's chest, tilting his head back to watch his sleeping lover. Hiroto was leaning against a tree with the light of the setting sun streaking over his face through the trees.<p>

He could remember another time he and Hiroto had fallen asleep like this, the first time they met when they were little children. Burn, Nagumo then, had made him cry for whatever reason and he'd run off into the woods. Hiroto had found him and comforted him and they had fallen asleep for hours. Hitomiko had eventually come and brought them to bed. Then Hiroto had actually woken up in the middle of the night, found Midorikawa's room, and crawled into his bed, using the green haired boy like a teddy bear. Midorikawa laughed slightly at the memory. Hiroto had always enjoyed cuddling him when they were younger. Apparently, it had something to do with his 'adorable actions'. Midorikawa didn't quite understand what he'd meant but it couldn't have been bad because he got to spend more time with the redhead.

Hiroto stirred suddenly then green eyes flickered open and he looked down at the younger boy. "Hey." he said, smiling softly. The greenette just smiled back. "Did you sleep well?" Hiroto inquired, brushing some strands out of Midorikawa's face. The other boy widened his smile and nodded. "Yeah, how about you?"

"I can't not sleep well when I'm near you," Hiroto winked, and he chuckled as Midorikawa's cheeks heated up at that comment. The redhead shifted and slowly got up, pulling Midorikawa up with him. "We should look for the others," he said, taking his boyfriend by the hand. "If Burn and Gazel came back, we're all walking in separate pairs right now."

Midorikawa nodded again and walked along with Hiroto. It was then he remembered why they hadn't found Desarm and Ulvida in the first place, and a smile appeared on his face. He and Hiroto had been sleeping for a while; who knows what might've happened between the other two in the meantime…

Speak of the devil. Midorikawa turned his head when he heard a familiar voice and gasped. "Hiroto!" He pointed to Desarm and Ulvida in the distance. When the boys began to approach them, they quickly realized Desarm was kneeling in front of the blue-and-white-haired girl, hanging his head as deeply as he could.

"Desarm?" Midorikawa grew worried and picked up the pace, but Hiroto suddenly squeezed his hand and held him back. "Wait…" he whispered, tugging the other boy behind a tree with him. "Look what he's doing." Midorikawa did as he said and noticed Desarm's face was bright red. The older teen didn't blush often, but when he did, it was usually because of…

"Forgive me!" Before Ulvida could repeat he stop doing that, Desarm continued, needing a huge amount of effort to force the words out. "… I… I am very, very fond of you, Yagami Reina! Y-your strength, your caring nature, your smile, and your beautiful hair blowing in the wind… I admire them all! I tried to force these… these distasteful feelings away… I didn't want to upset you with them, I wanted us to stay as we are… but I can't bring myself to lie to you any longer!" Desarm squeezed his eyes shut, pushing out the words through gritted teeth. He knew very well that his confession might mean the end of their friendship, and he had tried to convince Ulvida there was no particular reason for his behavior after he put her down again. But as the stubborn girl persisted, he was left with no choice. "… you must think I'm a disgrace… I know this doesn't make me better than Hiroto… I know I'm not worthy of you, and you might even have someone else you like… I honestly wish I could will these feelings away… but as it stands… I love you, Ulvida-sama! Please forgive me! If you can, please forget the whole issue to begin with!"

Midorikawa's jaw dropped and Hiroto smirked. "Took him long enough." the redhead mumbled, ignoring the shocked expression his boyfriend was wearing. Midorikawa mimicked Desarm's fish impression, totally blown away by the older teen's confession. He'd known his surrogate older brother had always held feelings for the blue and white haired girl, but he never knew he could be so poetic about it!

Ulvida was speechless. She had never even thought that Desarm's odd behavior could have been caused by feelings for her. She could swear her heart skipped a beat.

Desarm swallowed hard. Ulvida didn't seem to be reacting at all. Was she angry with him? He jumped a little when he felt someone pulling his ponytail up. He looked up curiously and eventually obliged, standing to his full height. He opened his mouth to question Ulvida's action but was quickly silenced when she pressed her mouth to his.

Desarm was so shocked that he flinched out of the kiss, falling back on his butt. His entire face was burning at this point, and he gave the girl a look of complete bewilderment. "U-Ulvida-sama?"

Ulvida grinned and slid off the rock, careful not to hurt her injured foot. She then crawled between the other teen's legs and placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning on him. "Just call me Reina," she whispered before kissing him again. Desarm clearly couldn't believe what was happening. Of all things he'd imagined his confession would bring, this was the outcome he had expected less – if at all. His crush was actually kissing him… Her lips were so soft and inviting… Desarm shyly, very shyly, began to return the kiss, cheeks still red. He was awestruck… but at the same time, so very happy.

"Well done."

The sudden interruption startled Desarm so much that he lost balance in his arms. He fell on his back with Ulvida on top of him, only to find the source standing next to them. Hiroto and Midorikawa gave them both a bright smile, hands entwined. Especially Midorikawa looked very pleased with the current scene.

"Ryuuji!" Desarm yelped, shocked by the younger boy's sudden appearance. Ulvida carefully got off of him as he scrambled up to his feet. "Are you alright? You're not hurt? Did Hiroto do anything?"

"Hey! I resent that!" Hiroto said, planting his hands on his hips. "I heard what you said before too! I'm not that bad!" the redhead said huffily. Midorikawa laughed as Desarm spun him around a couple times, checking for potential injuries. Eventually, he batted the older boy's hands away. "I'm fine, Osamu. We just took a nap." Desarm relaxed a little and released a breath. Midorikawa wrapped his arms around Desarm's arm and looked up at him. "I'm glad you finally worked things out with Ulvida nee-san though." the greenette whispered. Desarm blinked a couple times before smiling and ruffling the smaller boy's hair.

Hiroto helped Ulvida to her feet and let her lean on him for support. "It'll get dark soon, you guys. We should get going. I'm starving." Ulvida nodded in agreement then blushed furiously when her stomach rumbled loudly. Hiroto burst out laughing and Ulvida tried to take a swipe at him. Out of instinct he moved to dodge, letting the older girl slip off his shoulder. Ulvida yelped when strong arms quickly circled her waist and held her tightly, preventing her fall. She looked back over her shoulder and blushed a little when she met Desarm's eyes.

"Thanks."

Desarm blushed at least as much, but managed to give her a whole-hearted smile. Now that he had confessed his feelings, which turned out to be mutual, a huge burden had dropped off his shoulders, taking with it the awkwardness that would usually bug him in front of her. "No problem," Desarm answered, and he swept Ulvida off her feet once more. He dared to hold her a little more tightly this time, gently pressing her close. "Let's go." Ulvida nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck – not solely for support.

Hiroto snickered as they walked towards the campsite. "You _truly _aren't much better than me," he pointed out with a wink. "Don't tell me Ryuuji and I will have to keep an eye on_ you_ from now on." Midorikawa and Ulvida snickered while Desarm pouted grumpily, his cheeks heating up again. "I-I'm just doing this because she hurt her ankle!" he sputtered. "I know Ulvi—Reina is perfectly capable of walking otherwise!"

The other three chuckled more at his defensive retort, finding it to be rather cute. "What happened anyway?" Hiroto inquired, nodding to the bandages.

"… oh." Desarm and Ulvida locked eyes, only to blush and look away. Desarm wasn't exactly eager to admit he'd brought Ulvida harm due to his obsession with Midorikawa's safety. "… I fell," Ulvida eventually answered when the silence persisted. Hiroto raised an eyebrow, suspecting that wasn't the entire story, but decided not to bug them about it. "I see, that's unfortunate. At least you have your prince to carry you everywhere, right?" he smirked.

"H-Hiroto, that's enough!" Ulvida scolded before huffing and looking away. Hiroto simply snickered again and asked: "Did you two see Burn and Gazel after we parted?"

Ulvida blinked. "Actually, now that you mention it, they never did come back." Hiroto chuckled. "They probably were never going to anyways. That's just like them." Midorikawa and Desarm nodded. The greenette then grabbed both Hiroto and Desarm's hands and pulled them back down the path.

"Let's go find them then!"

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><p><strong>AN: Just one more chapter after this. :) I hope you'll stick with us till the end, minna-san! /glomp**


	8. Matchmaking retreat

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, minna, I forgot I had yet to revise the last part of the story. OTL But here it is! On a completely unrelated (as well as misplaced) note: DarkFireheartNinja, I'm aware of the "subconscious" mistake I made in _Burn and Gazel's Vacation_. Sadly, I was a dork back then (still am lol) and I can't be arsed to fix it now. I'm even too lazy to resubmit the chapter with my answer there or just send you a message, but I wanted to let you know it was a beginner's mistake and I've improved since then. Still, thank you for pointing it out to me, and I'm glad you enjoyed the story nonetheless. ^.~ Alright, back to this one, enjoy the last chapter everyone!**

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><p>The trio made their way back to the campsite, only to find it deserted. "Hm… Did they set out into the forest after all?" Ulvida pondered out loud.<p>

"They might be in their tent," Hiroto pointed out. "I'll go take a look, you guys get started on dinner."

"Okay! Dezzy, how about you set the table and I take care of—oh, right…" Ulvida cut herself off and frowned at her ankle. It was impossible for her to cook at this rate. Desarm simply smiled and tightened his grip on her. He had no problem carrying the girl; in fact, he was happy to be able to hold her in his arms. "I'll cook while Ryuuji sets the table," he suggested softly. "You take it easy, okay?"

Ulvida blushed at his caring words and looked at Midorikawa, who happily nodded in agreement. "Alright… Thanks, Osamu."

Meanwhile, Hiroto approached Burn and Gazel's tent and smiled when he heard some noise. He was relieved to know they hadn't disappeared after all. The redhead was about to shake the tent to grab their attention when he heard Gazel groan: "A-ah…! Come on, Burn, n-not there…!"

"What's the problem, it's not like I haven't touched you there before," Burn replied, clearly amused. When Gazel uttered a few more moans, Hiroto blushed and decided it better to leave them alone. From the sound of it, those two were having a rather… excessive cuddling session. He'd just give them a shout when dinner was ready.

Gazel panted heavily, resting an arm over his eyes as Burn finally pulled away from him. After the two had woken up from their brief nap, Burn had gotten a little touchy-feely before hauling the younger boy over his shoulder and carrying them off to their tent. They'd been..._cuddling _ever since.

Burn smiled down at the younger boy and leaned down to nuzzle his neck, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy as he lay down next to him. "You're so cute." he whispered. Gazel opened his mouth to respond but snapped it shut when he heard voices outside the tent.

"Can I at least chop something? I don't need to stand for that."

"Ulvida nee-san! You're supposed to be resting!"

"They're back!" Gazel hissed, his eyes going wide. Oh god, what if the others had heard them? The last thing he needed was everyone finding out he had tossed his pride out the window and stepped on it to submit to Burn. They'd think he was pathetic. Burn blinked and looked towards the door of the tent. "Hm. I wonder when that happened." he said boredly.

Gazel shot him a glare. Of course, that idiot wasn't the least bit worried. "Stupid! They're not supposed to know about us!" he hissed. "You need to be more careful!"

Burn snorted. "Hey, I'm not gonna deny I started things, but you still could've stopped if you wanted to." Gazel blushed at the emphasis on his last words. That's right, claiming he didn't enjoy Burn's antics would be ridiculous at this point… "Still, that was too close," he muttered, lowering his head. "And what if they see us come out of our tent together? We'll look suspicious."

Burn chuckled, finding Gazel's worry nothing short of adorable. He pulled his lover on top of him, tenderly keeping his arms around his waist. "We just took a nap," he answered, nuzzling Gazel's nose. The ice captain gave him a look. Taking a nap in the middle of the day instead of going on a nice, healthy hike? That would leave a good impression. Burn grinned, able to read Gazel's thoughts off his face, and teased: "Or we'll say you had a sunstroke and needed some company."

"Why does the focus have to be on me?" Gazel growled. He leaned his head into Burn's shoulder, enjoying the contact regardless. How could he be so weak for this boy… Burn simply snickered and gently caressed his naked back, his eyes shut for a moment. "… I don't mind claiming I was sick, if that'll take off the heat," he answered softly. Gazel flashed a smile, appreciating his consideration. "… let's go with that if they ask," he agreed. "We should probably show our faces before they bust us after all, though."

Burn nodded and nuzzled his hair, breathing in the fresh scent. Gazel's scent always reminded him of the outdoors. He could spend all day like this...

"Burn!" the redhead flinched when Gazel lightly bopped him on the head. Burn chuckled and let Gazel squirm out of his arms to crawl toward his clothes. Now this was a nice view..."Burn!" this time the redhead managed to duck when the white haired boy tried to hit him, instead grabbing his wrist and pulling down on top of him. Gazel blushed and wiggled around, trying to get free.

"Y-you idiot! L-let me go!"

Hiroto looked up from tending to Ulvida's ankle when he heard scuffling coming from the Chaos duo's tent. He chuckled quietly to himself. Ulvida raised an eyebrow. "What?" the redhead smirked. "It's nice that they finally got together. Heaven knows they've been holding a candle for each other long enough."

Ulvida smiled and briefly cast her gaze toward the tent. "Yeah. I'm glad they don't fight anymore, at least, not in the way they used to."

Hiroto snickered. "I'm sure we'll hear them bicker like this a lot more times, though. Now that Burn has his hands on Gazel, he seems a little reluctant to let him go." Ulvida raised an eyebrow at that statement. "How are you so sure about that?" Hiroto shook his head with an innocent smile. "Just a hunch. And what about you?" When Ulvida gave him a confused look, the redhead clarified: "How's it feel to finally have the guy _you _want?"

The blue-and-white-haired girl blushed and turned away her head, pouting grumpily. "… I don't… "have him", per say… We just kissed. We didn't say anything about… being a couple…" Hiroto smiled and finished tending to her ankle, taking a seat next to his friend instead. "Would you like to be?" Ulvida shot him a look, clearly embarrassed. "Why don't you go bug your _own _boyfriend?"

"Because I'm curious about my friends' relationships," Hiroto answered bluntly, and he snickered when Ulvida hit him over the head. "It's not nice to poke into other people's business, you should know that," she scolded. Hiroto answered with a smile. "But I can tell… You're happy with Desarm. You always have been, you seem much more… at ease in front of him." Ulvida blushed again and sent a rare, timid look in said teen's direction, who was busy cooking. Desarm looked surprisingly relaxed, talking to Midorikawa with a gentle smile on his face. Ulvida couldn't help but smile herself while she took in the guy she loved. Of course she was at ease with him… How could she not when he was so sweet, and protective, and so cute when he got nervous, and…

"Earth to Ulvida. Come in, Ulvida." Ulvida jumped when Hiroto waved a hand in front of her face. Hiroto snickered and pulled his hand back. "You certainly seem like you want to be a couple. Desarm too..." Ulvida blushed a little and looked away from her former captain.

"I wonder what they're talking about." Midorikawa asked, swinging his legs back and forth. He was seated on the edge of the trunk while Desarm stood a foot away by the portable grill cooking their food. The dark haired teen turned to look back at the beautiful blue and white haired girl. She looked so pretty blushing like that. He turned back to the greenette. "Who knows." he said absently. Midorikawa smiled. "Are you and nee-san a couple yet?"

Desarm blushed all the way up to his ears. "So, Where did you and _Hiroto_ wander off to?" he asked curtly, changing the topic. Midorikawa blushed now. "W-we just talked a bit then took a nap. That's all." Desarm smirked a little bit and reached over to ruffle the younger boy's hair. Midorikawa giggled and grabbed Desarm's hand. The dark haired teen jokingly tried to pull it away and released the grill tool to begin tickling the younger boy. Midorikawa squealed and fell onto his side as Desarm attacked him.

"Teasing your older brother, huh? You should know better!" The dark-haired teen let out a laugh of his own as Midorikawa continued to giggle under his fingers. Both boys looked up when a third voice said: "Don't torture him too much." Hiroto gave them a smile, even though the first thing Desarm did was frown at him. Midorikawa used this opportunity to jump up and hide behind the redhead, squealing: "Save me!" Hiroto chuckled and said: "Ulvida told me to check on you to make sure Desarm wasn't killing you."

"We were just playing," Desarm huffed, and he quickly returned to the food. He snuck a peek at Midorikawa when he flashed a fake pout and said: "All I did was ask if he and nee-san were a couple yet…" Desarm blushed and was about to say something, but Hiroto chuckled and answered: "What a coincidence, I asked Ulvida a similar thing." Desarm was silent at once. Ulvida had been asked the same question? His blush deepened as he thought about the answer, suddenly dying to find out. "… w-what did she say?"

"She didn't respond directly, but neither did you," Hiroto reminded him when Desarm was about to sulk at the first part. "Why don't you talk it out with her? Ryuuji and I will finish cooking for you." Desarm held up his hands in refusal, blushing like mad. "T-that's not nece—"

"Great idea!" Midorikawa chimed, grinning when Desarm shot him a disapproving look. "You've liked her for so long, Desarm. You deserve to be with her." Desarm shyly hung his head, wondering if that were true. "… alright…" he muttered awkwardly, and he slowly made his way over to the girl in question. Ulvida failed to notice his approach, as she was lost in thought about the exact same issue. Did Desarm desire to be her boyfriend? Sure, she hadn't forgotten about his rather… unique confession, and the memory sent her heart racing in an instant, but… now that they'd actually confirmed their mutual feelings, she wondered what Desarm preferred to do next. Ulvida had to admit, however… that the thought of being with him made her extremely happy. She was head over heels in love with this awkward, yet adorable gentleman, after all.

"Uh...erm...hello..." Ulvida jumped and looked up at the dark haired teen as he approached. "Oh...hi..." Ulvida blushed slightly and Desarm avoided her eyes. What was he supposed to say to her? He couldn't simply come outright and ask her. What if she already thought they were dating? What if she took his asking as an insult?

"Hey, Osamu?" The dark haired teen jumped at the sound of his given name being spoken. "Y-yes?" Ulvida fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Are we dating now?" Desarm blinked a little. So she was just as unsure as he was? "I-I'm not sure. I would like to be..." Desarm mentally smacked himself. Why had he said that? How could he say something so stupid?

"I would like that too."

Desarm shot up, staring at the girl in awe. "You… you would…?"

"Of course, dummy," Ulvida giggled, amused at his baffled expression. She took him by the hand and gently tugged him down next to her, not letting go once he sat. Instead, she entwined their fingers and leaned her head on his shoulder, causing Desarm to go red. "… we kissed, didn't we…? I've been wanting to do that for a while… I really like you, Osamu, I—it made me really happy when you… confessed…" Ulvida lowered her head shyly, not at all used to baring her soul like this. Desarm was the only one truly capable of making her feel modest, and even a little insecure. Just as she started hoping this side of her wouldn't deter him, Desarm rested his free hand on hers and pressed a kiss into her temple. From the look of his flushed face, those tiny gestures cost him a decent amount of effort.

"… I like you a lot too, Reina," he whispered. "It… it is honestly an honour that you accept my feelings, and that you even… return them… It means so much to me… To be a couple would be… would be…" He averted his eyes, looking for the right word. "Amazing" didn't even come close. Ulvida smiled at his hesitance and lifted her head, gently tilting Desarm's back so she could look him in the eye. "I think so too, Osamu," she whispered, before leaning in to steal a kiss from his lips.

"Woah, what did we miss out on?"

Both teens flinched out of the kiss and spun around, finding Burn and Gazel behind them. While Gazel looked indifferent, Burn had a big grin on his face, causing both Desarm and Ulvida to redden further.

"So you two decided to get it on when you were alone? How inappropriate!" the redhead teased, earning a glare from the white-haired boy behind him. Like that idiot could talk.

Ulvida fought down her blush as she smirked. "And just where have you two been?" she asked. Now, it was Gazel's turn to blush but Burn just shrugged. "I wasn't feeling well and I got bored so I made Gazel sit with me." Ulvida looked to the white haired boy for confirmation and he nodded quickly. She turned back to Burn.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're feeling better. I'm sure Gazel was a big help." the white haired boy flushed furiously and avoided her eyes, making the older girl smirk. Burn frowned slightly. "Yeah, whatever. Come on." he grabbed Gazel's sleeve and pulled him away from the older couple and towards the lake. Desarm blinked a couple times. "Are they...?"

"No doubt about it." Ulvida said cheerily. Desarm sighed and leaned back a little. "This camping trip seems to have turned into a match-making retreat." he groaned. Ulvida leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Are you complaining?" she asked.

Desarm blushed all the way up to his ears and frantically shook his head. "N-no! Of course not!" Ulvida smiled and kissed him again, this time full on the lips. "Good." Desarm gazed at her in awe for a moment, but then returned the smile and kissed her once more, his heart picking up the pace.

"Dinnertime!"

The couple flinched apart a second time and glared at Hiroto, who stood there smiling with a spatula in his hand. "You can fool around all you want once you've filled your stomachs," the redhead teased, and he made a run for it when Desarm chased him and shouted scolding words, his face resembling a tomato. Ulvida, flushing just as madly, snickered when the dark-haired teen commented how "she would never fool around because she was a lady."

Once dinner was over (and a displeased Burn and Gazel did the dishes for the third time in a row, seeing as Hiroto, Midorikawa and Desarm cooked and Ulvida couldn't exactly go anywhere of her own accord), the group went for a last swim in the lake. Hiroto and Midorikawa continued their swimming lessons – which oddly involved a lot more physical contact than before – while Burn and Gazel splashed and pushed each other off the cliff. Desarm, after swimming a bit himself, soon returned to the beach. Ulvida was seated in the sand on a towel, once again reading his book. She perked up when Desarm's shadow spread on her and blushed behind the book as she eyed him in his half-naked – and wet – glory. "I didn't know you were fond of mystery," she commented as he plopped down at her side.

"I appreciate a good book once in a while. … well, more than once in a while," Desarm answered, smiling at his girlfriend. Ulvida nodded, well aware how much of a bookworm the boy was.

"Who the hell reads on vacation?" Burn commented from his cross legged position on top of a rock. Gazel swam up next to him, eyeing the couple as well. "Not everyone is a complete horndog...unlike someone I know..." Burn faked a pout.

"I'm not a horndog." he smirked and slid into the water, startling Gazel when he seized him by the waist. "I just like to watch that cute face you make when you get embarrassed." he teased, running his tongue over the white haired boy's ear. Gazel blushed furiously and pushed at the redhead's chest.

"Burn...not here!" he let his eyes flicker over to the other two couples then back to his lover. "Why not?" Burn growled into his ear and wrapped his arms tightly around the younger boy's waist, preventing his escape. Gazel gasped slightly. "Because they'll see us! Idiot!" Burn simply grinned and leaned in to nibble his neck. "Let 'em."

"N-no!" Gazel continued to struggle and even shouted "Enough!", but when all Burn did was reach into his trunks, he'd had it. "STOP IT!"

Hiroto, Midorikawa, Desarm and Ulvida all looked up when a smacking noise flew across the lake. They saw how Burn backed away with one hand on his cheek, while Gazel's arm remained in the air after slapping him across the face. "I've had it! You never listen to me when I say no! I have other things to do than satisfy your selfish needs! Go to hell!" The white-haired boy then turned and swam away from an awestruck Burn. He was so speechless that he didn't even notice – or care – that the other four were gawking at him. Gazel's retort came as a complete shock to him. He hadn't realized his simple urge to play was so offensive to the boy.

"Gazel…" Ulvida started when Gazel reached the beach, but he marched past without so much as looking at her. Desarm and Ulvida watched as he made for his and Burn's tent and hid inside, shutting himself off by zipping up the flaps. Desarm then cast a gaze on Burn, who seemed to have frozen at the spot. He sighed and lowered his head for a minute. "Will those two ever change…"

Ulvida chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. You know they love each other; they'll make up as always. This is simply part of being in a relationship… though I'm not exactly anticipating those moments between us." Desarm gasped and stared at her in disbelief. "I-I would never hit you! Or shout at you! I promise! That is very inconsiderate and disrespectful!" Ulvida couldn't help but chuckle again. Desarm responded exactly like she thought he would, how cute. "I know that, silly, I was just teasing," she winked, bringing a blush to the other teen's cheeks.

Meanwhile, Burn stayed staring in the direction his lover had gone, one hand resting on his abused cheek. Gazel's words were still ringing in his head. He didn't know he was upsetting Gazel so much. He never intended to. He caught the others looks for a moment but they all quickly turned their attention away and continued whatever they had been doing before. Sighing softly, he left the lake and headed towards his and Gazel's shared tent.

Midorikawa bit his lip a little as he watched Burn go. "Should we stop him?" he asked, turning to look at his own redhead. Hiroto shook his head. "The sooner they work this out the better. Let's not get involved." the redhead smiled and wrapped his arms around his lover's waist, pulling the half-naked and soaking greenette up against his body. "Besides, we still need to finish your swimming lessons."

"H-Hiroto!" Midorikawa blushed and let out a laugh at the gesture, but shot a quick look at the beach to make sure Desarm wasn't glaring at them. Very much to his surprise, the older teen wasn't paying attention to them at all. He continued chatting with Ulvida, his lips curved into a whole-hearted smile and a timid blush glimmering on his cheeks. Midorikawa chuckled, happy for his big brother, and switched his focus back to his boyfriend. "Let's," he whispered, and he leaned in to meet the redhead's lips.

* * *

><p>"Gazel?" Burn unzipped the tent and found Gazel in the farthest corner. The other boy sat with his knees in his arms, his back turned to the door. "Go away," he muttered, his tone dark and cold.<p>

Burn sighed, not even considering the order. "Gazel," he repeated, crawling closer to his boyfriend. "… I'm sorry. I was—I didn't realize I was offending you… I was just having fun."

Gazel gritted his teeth at those words. "… you idiot…" he whispered, and Burn could tell by his trembling voice that he was at the verge of crying. "… I didn't ask you if you weren't playing for nothing… If sex is all our relationship is, consider yourself dumped."

Burn's heart sank the instant he heard that sentence. "N-no! No, it's not! Gazel!" He planted a hand on Gazel's shoulder, but the ice boy instantly slapped it away. "Don't touch me."

"Gazel!" Burn repeated, determined to reach the other boy. He refused to let it end like this. He gripped Gazel's shoulders again and turned him around, only to gasp at what came into view. Gazel was holding the teddy he had given him all those years ago. It was wrapped tightly in his arms, like a treasure he had vowed to protect.

Gazel blushed heavily and quickly shoved Burn back, turning his back to him again. "B-baka! I said don't touch me!" he curled in on himself, letting his hair hang in his face. Tears began to roll down his face, now from embarrassment rather than sadness. Now Burn would think he was weak, going to this sentimental object for comfort.

Gazel gasped loudly and his eyes went wide when Burn forcibly spun him around and wrapped his arms tightly around him, pulling the white haired boy's head into his chest. Gazel sniffled and tried to will his tears away. "Burn...?" The redhead squeezed him tighter.

"I'm sorry." Burn said softly. "I never meant to upset you so much. This isn't just sex to me. I really do love you."

Gazel could swear his heart stopped. This was the very first time Burn had actually said those words to him outright, and he had no idea how to respond to them. Once his body unfroze again, his cheeks heated up like mad and his heart started racing as if to make up for its pause. Without thinking, Gazel dropped the teddy and threw his own arms tightly around Burn's back, holding him as close as he could. "… B-Burn…"

"… Gazel… you don't think I would do this with anyone else, would you…?" Burn muttered, planting his hand in Gazel's hair and running his fingers through the silver locks. He lowered his voice even more, clearly embarrassed. "… I only do this with you… because I like you that much. No one else has any business touching me… but with you, I—I feel at ease… like… something is _just right_…"

Gazel nodded in silence. He completely understood what the redhead meant. Even right now, being in Burn's arms and holding him in his own felt nothing short of right. "… it just… it's a little frustrating when you keep going too far, especially with the others around," he answered quietly. He firmly kept his head pressed against Burn's chest, not wanting him to see his red cheeks. Expressing his emotions like this was way too embarrassing. Burn was lucky he loved him… "… when I say no… I really do mean no. It doesn't mean I'm rejecting you – I just want us to have privacy when doing… that kind of thing… I want to be alone with you."

Burn nodded in return and couldn't help but smile. He felt more than relieved to know Gazel wasn't going to reject him, as he had feared after his sudden outburst. "… I understand…" He slowly pulled back and tilted Gazel's chin up, regaining eye contact. "… but I can still tease you when we're alone, right?" he added with a playful wink.

Gael's face flushed instantly. "B-Burn! I-eep!" Gazel yelped when the redhead suddenly pushed him down, planting his hands on either side of the white haired boy's head. Gazel looked up at him and opened his mouth to yell but stopped when he saw the soft look in the redhead's eyes. "Burn...?"

The redhead smirked slightly before leaning down and kissing the smaller boy gently. Said boy tensed up slightly, still a little unsure, but when Burn released his hands and refrained from touching him, he gave in and returned the kiss. The couple broke apart with a smile and Burn lifted his hand to caress Gazel's cheek, but both boys flinched when Ulvida's voice disrupted the moment: "Burn! Gazel! Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah, we're fine!" They stammered it at the exact same time and looked at each other in awe. Ulvida simply chuckled and answered: "Good to know! We're turning in for tonight, so we'll see you tomorrow!"

"See you," Burn muttered, his focus already back on his lover. "… you wanna go sleep?" Gazel considered it for a moment, then smiled. "… I don't mind… but can we leave our pajamas off…?"

Burn actually blushed a little at that question. "Y-you mean… be naked…?" Gazel snickered and lightly tapped his cheek. "Shame on you, we'd still be wearing boxers."

"I like being naked too, though," Burn grinned, nuzzling his nose in Gazel's neck. The ice boy chuckled and gently pushed him off. "We'll see," he said teasingly, and he added a wink when that remark caused Burn to pout.

Outside the tent, Ulvida smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. _'Well, that was fast.'_ she giggled to herself and walked back to where Desarm had moved to sit by the now crackling fire, her nightgown swishing around her legs. "I'm going to head to bed. Coming?" the dark haired boy nodded and followed her into the tent. Ulvida flopped down onto her sleeping bag and stretched. "Long day or what?"

Desarm chuckled and nodded, lying back on his own sleeping bag. He took a deep breath and rolled onto his side to face the girl he loved. He cautiously reached out and brushed his hand down the side of her face. Ulvida blushed and caught the hand with her own, pressing a kiss to the palm.

Desarm blushed now and Ulvida smiled and slipped off her sleeping bag. She shifted over onto the dark haired teen's sleeping bag and cuddled up next to the older boy. Desarm's blush increased tenfold and he hesitantly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Ulvida let him, a sympathetic look on her face. "Are you nervous?"

Desarm immediately shook his head. "O-of course not! I just… I'm not used to this, and… I don't want to do anything wrong…"

"That's called being nervous, dear," Ulvida chuckled, and Desarm looked away with red cheeks. She then smiled again and stroked one of them. "Don't worry, Osamu. I know you – you'd never do something wrong on purpose." Her boyfriend blushed even more at those words, but he shifted his eyes back to her and gave a grateful smile. "… thank you."

Ulvida shook her own head this time, calmly. "… no…" She shifted down a bit, pressing her face into Desarm's chest. The boy felt so warm, so safe to be around… Ulvida desired nothing more than to rest in his strong arms, to be able to let her guard down and be carefree for once. "… thank _you_… for loving someone like me."

Desarm was speechless. He honestly couldn't believe what she was saying. He didn't see what was _not_ to like about her. She was smart, she was headstrong, she was unbelievably pretty… though the last trait counted as a mere bonus. Desarm had always admired Ulvida for her strong spirit and caring attitude (albeit hidden under a sharp tongue), and if anything, he believed it was the other way around – that_ he_ should be thanking_ her_.

Regardless, Desarm flashed a warm smile and tightened his embrace, holding Ulvida close. All he wanted right now was for this serene, precious moment to last. "… you're welcome," he whispered, and he mustered enough courage to press a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

><p>"Will you stop that? You're turning into Desarm." Hiroto said, smirking. Midorikawa pulled his head back and snapped the tent flaps shut, casting a look at his lover over his shoulder. "I'm just happy for them, that's all." he countered, turning and crawling back to the redhead. Hiroto smiled and reached up an arm to wrap around the greenette's middle and pulled him down next to him. Midorikawa snuggled up against him, nestling his head under Hiroto's chin.<p>

"I know you are. I'm happy for them too." Hiroto kissed the top of his head and slid a hand under his shirt to rub little circles on his stomach. Midorikawa giggled and squirmed a little. "Stop it. That tickles." Hiroto smirked and rolled completely on top of the greenette, attacking his sides. Midorikawa squealed and desperately twisted around. "H-Hiroto!"

The green haired boy tried to roll away but Hiroto grabbed him around his waist and rolled them onto their sides, pressing his chest into Midorikawa's back. He gave his lover a moment to breathe and nuzzled his neck lovingly. "I love you." he whispered. The greenette blushed and turned his head to look at the redhead behind him.

"I love you too." he said softly. Hiroto smiled and kissed his nose. He then touched Midorikawa's bare stomach again, this time caressing it with his full palm to refrain from tickling him. The greenette sighed happily at the soothing feeling and shut his eyes, waiting to fall asleep in Hiroto's arms.

* * *

><p>Ulvida was the first to wake up. She moved a little before she opened her eyes, noting something was holding her by the waist. She realized what it was when she saw Desarm's sleeping face in front of her. The two of them had fallen asleep in his sleeping bag and the boy had left his arm around her middle, as if to keep her safe. Ulvida smiled instantly as she took in Desarm's snoozing features. He looked so calm, so peaceful… so adorable. She lifted a hand to brush his cheek, to which he responded by shifting for a mere three seconds. When Ulvida saw he wasn't going to wake up, she decided to relax a bit more before getting up. It wasn't like she could do much in her current condition, and on top of that, being this close to her loved one was… nice. Very much so. The blue-and-white-haired girl closed her eyes and gave the snoozing Epsilon captain a peck on the lips, happily lingering in his embrace.<p>

In the neighboring tent, Burn soon woke up as well. He found his position had changed a bit since yesterday. He and Gazel had indeed ended up naked, although they had just resorted to cuddling this time. Like the preceding nights, they had fallen asleep in Gazel's sleeping bag, both lying on their sides. Now, Burn was on his back with two slender arms around his waist, and Gazel had once again placed his head on his chest. The redhead simply smiled at their position and gazed at the roof of their tent, gently brushing through his lover's silver locks in the meantime. He didn't mind when Gazel chose to cling to him… Every moment they spent together was precious in his eyes.

Gazel sighed and stirred when he felt Burn's fingers run through his hair. He slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head up to look at the redhead. Burn smiled and continued stroking his lover's scalp. "Morning." he said softly, leaning to kiss his groggy lover lightly on his forehead.

"Mmm..." Gazel sighed again and let his head drop back to the redhead's chest. Burn smiled a little and resumed his position of staring at the roof of the tent above him.

* * *

><p>Midorikawa groaned quietly and opened his eyes. It took him a second to register the different color of the sleeping bag then another second to realize it was Hiroto's before a blush spread across his face. He'd slept in the redhead's arms all night. Midorikawa buried his head into the pillow.<em> 'It's not like we haven't before. I shouldn't be getting embarrassed by this.'<em> he thought. The boy jumped when he felt a hand slide through his hair and pull his hair band from his green locks.

Midorikawa shifted to look over his shoulder and mischievous green eyes met his dark ones. A pale hand rose up to dangle the hair tie in front of the younger boys face. "H-Hiroto!" The greenette twisted in his lover's arms to face him and tried to grab it back from the redhead, but the older boy just pulled it out of reach. Midorikawa leaned for it again but this time Hiroto rolled onto his back, pulling Midorikawa on top of him.

The greenette blushed instantly and tried to wiggle out of Hiroto's arm to no avail. The redhead grinned at him and dropped the hair tie onto Midorikawa's sleeping bag and reached up to slide his hand into the boy's hair again and pull him down for a kiss. Midorikawa instantly went redder, but he couldn't help but enjoy the kiss, returning it softly. When they parted, he gave his boyfriend a small pout and asked: "Can't you even say good morning in a normal fashion…?"

"Nope," Hiroto grinned, and he threw both his arms and legs around the smaller boy, trapping him completely. Midorikawa blushed further and let out a sigh. "… honestly…" he muttered, but he managed a small smile and kissed his boyfriend again. The two of them lingered in the tender lip-lock before Midorikawa flinched back, feeling Hiroto's hand shift up underneath his shirt.

Hiroto instantly halted and gave the greenette a worried look. "Ryuuji? I'm sorry if that bothered you." Midorikawa quickly shook his head. "N-no, it doesn't… I'm just… getting used to this… being loved by you…"

Hiroto flashed a loving smile when he heard those words and continued to caress his bare back. Midorikawa rested his head on his chest and sighed contently, enjoying the soothing feeling. "I could just fall asleep again if you continue like this…" he muttered. Hiroto beamed a grin. "Really? Then perhaps I should try something else."

Midorikawa jumped when his other hand moved to his butt and gave it a light squeeze. He shot up and stared at his boyfriend, cheeks burning and eyes wide in a mix of shock and embarrassment. "H-H-Hiroto…!" Hiroto simply laughed and gave him a wink. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You're too adorable."

Midorikawa went red again. He quickly swiped his pillow from the other side of the tent and smacked the redhead with it. "You're a pervert..." he mumbled. Hiroto just laughed and leaned up to nuzzle his nose against the smaller boy's.

"Hey, you guys awake? We need to get packing up!" the tent shook slightly as Ulvida tapped it. "Yeah, we're up! Be out in a sec!" Hiroto called. "Okay. Desarm, stop that!"

"B-but you shouldn't be walking! You're still hurt!" Desarm said in a panicked voice. "I'm fine! It doesn't even hurt anymore." Hiroto chuckled as he listened to the exchange. "They make a cute couple." he commented, putting an arm behind his head and wrapping the other around Midorikawa's waist. The greenette nodded and rested his head on Hiroto's chest. His boyfriend smiled at the close contact, combing his fingers through Midorikawa's long hair. "We're supposed to get up, remember?"

"I know…" Midorikawa pouted. He gripped onto Hiroto's shirt at chest height and added: "But it's nice… being alone with you…" Hiroto chuckled. "We can have all the alone time we want when we're back home, you know. It'll actually be better because Desarm won't be there to check up on us every thirty seconds."

"No, he'll just call every five minutes instead," Midorikawa grumbled. Hiroto let out a laugh and pushed himself on his elbows, making the greenette sit up as well. "Don't worry. I think he has something – or should I say _someone_ - much more important on his mind right now." Midorikawa smiled when the redhead winked and poked him on the nose. "You're right. He seems so happy with Ulvida nee-san."

"Exactly." Hiroto grinned at the image of the older couple, Ulvida being her stubborn self and Desarm being shy around her as usual. He then gave his boyfriend one more kiss before climbing out of his sleeping bag. "Come on, let's go change."

* * *

><p>"Mmf… I don't wanna get up…" A groggy Gazel grabbed his pillow and pressed his face into it, earning a snicker from Burn. The redhead had wiggled out of his clingy lover's grip and was now getting dressed.<p>

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty," he urged, grinning at his own joke. One needed to take a single look at Gazel's messy hair to know he wasn't exactly beautiful right now, but Burn could never view him differently. "We should hurry. The others will think something's up if we take too long."

Gazel snorted into his pillow. "Are you serious? As if half the world doesn't know about us after you came onto me in the lake yesterday."

Burn snorted back. "I guess so. Is that such a bad thing?" Gazel looked away when Burn cast a look at him over his shoulder but the redhead caught the split second look of worry in the other boy's blue eyes. "Gazel?" Burn abandoned the task of putting on his shirt and crawled over to the other boy. He lay down next to him on top of the sleeping bag and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want them to think I'm weak." Gazel said softly. Burn squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Why would they think that?"

"Because I'm the girl! What if everyone thinks I'm a wuss because I submit to you?" Burn smirked a little and shifted Gazel into his arms completely. "If anyone calls you a wuss or anything of the sort, I'll just kick their ass." Burn said confidently. Gazel gazed up at him for a moment, visibly touched, but then lowered his head again. His boyfriend smiled softly and began to brush through his hair as he spoke: "Gazel… You are not a wuss. I don't see you as a girl either. Your strength is one of the reasons I… love you."

Gazel didn't say anything, but Burn suddenly felt his arms envelop his waist and his face press close against his chest. Guessing it had to be bright red at this point, Burn grinned and continued: "I don't see your actions as 'submitting to me'… I merely see it as a sign that you feel the same way. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Besides… if you wanna top for once, all you have to do is ask."

Gazel did respond to that. He lifted his head to glare at the redhead, who flashed a cheeky smirk. Gazel pouted and rolled them over, lying on top of him. "Hmph… I like this view. It sure as hell won't happen only once," he huffed, but he grinned himself when Burn snickered under him.

"Looking forward to it," he whispered seductively, sliding down his hand and squeezing Gazel's butt to get his revenge. Gazel flinched and Burn winked: "At least I have room to do that now."

"Baka." Gazel mumbled, smacking Burn upside the head before sliding off his lover and starting to search for his clothes. Burn propped himself up on his elbows, watching his lover with a grin. "I like this view." He sniggered. Gazel flushed darkly and grabbed the pillow from Burn's sleeping bag and chucked it at him. Burn flinched as it hit him in the face and chuckled.

"Just stating the truth, love." Gazel huffed and tugged his boxers up over his hips. "Baka." he muttered under his breath, blush still dusting his cheeks. Burn smirked and pushed himself up and shifted onto his knees. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his younger lover's waist and nuzzled his shoulder. "I love you."

Gazel blushed when he heard those words, still not quite used to having them come from Burn's mouth. He turned his head to face him and placed his hands on Burn's, flashing a warm smile. "I love you too," he whispered, and he leaned in for a kiss when a yell from outside broke them apart.

"Burn! Gazel! Are you awake? We should start packing up!"

"We're awake!" Burn snapped, needing effort to swallow an insult at the end of the sentence. He might've responded a little friendlier if the intruder wasn't that blasted Hiroto. He had already busted them once – unbeknownst to Burn, almost twice –, after all.

Gazel gave him a look while he pulled on his shorts. "Did you have to lash out like that?"

"Hmph." Burn turned his head away, a dignified look on his face. "I'll be glad when I can sleep in again without any interruptions."

"Tsk tsk," Gazel waved his finger with a smirk. "Snoozing until 1 in the afternoon… You're fifteen, shouldn't you have learned some discipline by now?"

Burn shot him a glare, but gradually smirked as he thought about his answer. "Oh… You want discipline, huh?" Gazel raised an eyebrow in confusion, the other soon following as Burn lifted a pair of claw-shaped hands and began to approach him. "I'll show you discipline."

"No!' Gazel only just managed to dodge Burn when he lunged at him. Burn snickered and proceeded to charge the other boy, quickly succeeding as Gazel had almost nowhere to run. The ice boy let out a laugh when his boyfriend clasped his waist and threw them to the ground, rolling over until they hit the side of the tent. Not three seconds after the bump, their house decided to collapse on them. Seeing as Gazel had set it up on his own, it was probably the most fragile of the three tents and decided it'd had enough after all the hitting and shaking. Burn and Gazel froze as the loose fabric enveloped them, but resumed laughing when they looked at each other.

Gazel lay a hand on Burn's cheek and whispered: "I'm pretty sure they know about us now."

"Eh, screw it," Burn snorted, rolling his eyes. "Who cares what the others think?" He closed the gap for another kiss, which Gazel happily obliged.

* * *

><p>Ulvida planted her hands on her hips as Hiroto sauntered back to her, eyeing the collapsed tent. "Do you enjoy interrupting their alone time?" The redhead's grin told her everything and she rolled her eyes. "Go help Osamu load the car. He won't let me." She propped her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her hands. "I hope we get going soon. Osamu's babying me and I'm bored."<p>

Hiroto chuckled. "You know you like it." He jumped back when she tried to hit him and chuckled again when she nearly fell off the rock. "I'll just go help Dezzy then." He quickly pranced over to where Desarm was loading the car with the other tents and baggage. Midorikawa was next to him, trying to be helpful but looking more like he was about to topple from the amount of supplies he had attempted to carry.

Sure enough, seconds later the greenette lost his footing and stumbled back. Hiroto darted forward and caught one arm around his back and another under the stack of supplies. Midorikawa blushed heavily as green eyes met black ones. "Thanks." he said quietly. Hiroto smirked and winked, making the other boy's blush worsen. "No problem." Hiroto said, ignoring the feel of dark eyes burning a hole in his back.

Desarm continued to glare at him while he took over half of Midorikawa's supplies, enabling him to load the car without any further accidents. He shot up, though, when a familiar voice behind him said: "Will you two stop being so shameless, you can do that at home." Desarm spun around and saw Ulvida had reached whatever was left of Burn and Gazel's tent. She had lifted the fabric to look at them and said boys soon crawled outside, pouting after being scolded.

Desarm gasped and dropped his own baggage, instantly running over. "R-Reina! Please don't move about, your injury might get worse!" Ulvida turned around and shot him an unimpressed look. "Didn't I say it doesn't hurt anymore? Stop treating me like a child, Osamu. I don't need you to spy on me like you do with Ryuuji."

"I-i-it's not spying, I'm just looking out for you! And him!" Desarm sputtered. He was so worried about his girlfriend that he didn't even notice the snickers coming from Burn and Gazel's direction. "What if it ends up hurting again because you started walking too early? You have to rest!"

"Wait, you're spying on us now?" Midorikawa shot Desarm a look as Hiroto continued the dark haired teen's job of loading the car. Desarm avoided eye contact with the greenette. Ulvida rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Dezzy. You don't need to worry so much. And put a sock in it you two." She shot a look towards Burn and Gazel who quickly tried to look preoccupied.

Hiroto snickered quietly as he took the last bit of supplies from Midorikawa and placed it in the car. The dark eyed boy crossed his arms over his chest. "What?" he asked. Hiroto shook his head. "Everything." When Midorikawa looked like he was about to respond, Hiroto swung him into his arms and kissed him soundly. Midorikawa blushed heavily and tried to fight it down when they parted. Hiroto smirked. "You're so cute when you blush."

"Okay, love birds, move it." The two jumped apart when Burn came sauntering through and tossed the sloppily tied up tent into the back of the car. Gazel rolled his eyes as he ran a hand through his bangs. "You could've done a better job."

"Hey, if you don't like my job, you can do it." Burn said over his shoulder. "I set it up, it was only fair for you to take it down." Gazel shot back. A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned his head to look up at Desarm. "Can you two finish your lover's spat later? We have a 3 hour car ride and I don't want to spend the entirety of it listening to you two argue. Now get in the car. I would like to get on the road before the traffic gets bad."

Burn rolled his eyes and Gazel shoved his shoulders, pushing towards the door. The Chaos duo scrambled into the far back and Midorikawa and Hiroto took the middle. Desarm scrambled to open the door for Ulvida and blushed when she kissed his cheek in thanks. The dark haired teen climbed into the driver's seat and Ulvida leaned over and gave him another kiss. The blue and white haired girl shot a look at the back seat when Burn cat called at them and gave him the finger.

Gazel chuckled and wrapped his arms around Burn. "I think not. He's mine." Burn blinked in shock at the white haired boy's sudden forwardness. He looked down at his co-captain. "What happened to not wanting everyone to know?" Gazel smirked up at the redhead. "Like you said, 'who cares what the others think?'."

"Y-yeah, but…" Burn took a moment to take in Hiroto, Midorikawa and Ulvida's smiling faces, all aimed at him and Gazel. The only reason Desarm didn't join in was probably because he had to keep his eyes on the road. Burn gave his boyfriend a hesitant look and whispered: "They're all staring…"

"Let 'em," Gazel shrugged, and he shielded one side of his face as he leaned in to kiss his lover, blocking the view. The other three turned around with a snicker. While Ulvida fished a sandwich out of the bag that contained their breakfast, Midorikawa tugged at Hiroto's sleeve to grab his attention. "Hiroto?" The redhead looked at him with a smile. "Yes?"

"Could we… Do you think we could continue our swimming lessons at home?" Midorikawa asked, shyness audible in his voice. He glanced at his lap and muttered: "It's a lot of fun… and you're a great teacher."

Hiroto chuckled and took him by the hand, squeezing it gently. "Of course. I'm glad to hear you say that; I'd love to teach you more." Midorikawa smiled brightly and Ulvida looked at Desarm, surprised to see he was carrying a smile as well. "Oh? You finally approve of their relationship?" she inquired with a grin. Desarm shook his head. "Absolutely not. But the only source of water in town is the swimming pool – I can be sure Hiroto won't pull any tricks on him in public."

Ulvida snickered. "As expected from you." She was about to change the subject when noises from the back caused her to turn around again. Burn and Gazel had started bickering about who was allowed to have the last salami sandwich, seeing as both Hiroto and Midorikawa had taken one when the bag was handed around the group. The Chaos duo quickly managed to change their quarrel from sandwiches to who could eat the most to being a fat-ass with no discipline, and Desarm had the urge to press his nose against the wheel. Looks like he was going to have to bear with their arguments after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that was it! I hope you liked it, everybody. I'm struggling with my next story so I think I'll put it on hold and wait until inspiration for a next one comes to me. I don't think I've mentioned this before, though: on my Tumblr, Vera9, you can find some drabbles under the drabble tag in my description box. There's Burn/Gazel, HiroMido, even some HayaYoshi. ;3 Just in case you're interested. Thank you for sticking with us through all of this story, and until next time! :D -glomps- And an extra glomp for the magnificent Garfakcy-chan who doubled the awesomeness of the story! ^.~ -glomps again-  
><strong>


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